


Winter Hearts

by vLightnDarkv



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Friendship, Jealousy, Lonliness, M/M, Magic, Misunderstandings, epic journey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-10 03:51:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10428501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vLightnDarkv/pseuds/vLightnDarkv
Summary: Victor and Yuuri have been friends since they were kids. They do everything together, one rarely seen without the other. Now adults, a misunderstanding puts their friendship to the test and causes Victor to disappear with the Lord of Winter, a being that was only supposed to exist in stories. Yuuri embarks on a journey to find his friend, but between winter refusing to bow out to spring and the Lord of Winter pushing back at every turn it's not going to be easy. But what really has Yuuri worried is whether or not Victor will even listen to him once he finds him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Lord I hate writing summaries…
> 
> Anyway, hi! Thanks for giving my story a chance! This first chapter is more of a prologue of sorts designed to help set up where the main story will start, hence why it’s on the short side. This is my first multi-chapter fic for Yuri on Ice so I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Also, I don't have a beta reader so please let me know of any mistakes. I did my best to look for them myself, but there’s always the chance I missed something.

Thick clouds of frozen breath huffed out as he trudged through the heavy layer of snow on the ground, following the long trenches that stretched out before him and disappeared over the hill he was climbing. For the first time ever he cursed the heavy white blanket on the ground, it was only mid shin, but it was still enough to make his trek up the hill a chore, even with the trenches he was following. Even so he pushed through, never slowing, he needed to get over the hill, needed to catch up to the one ahead of him, needed to straighten things out.

“Victor!” he called up the hill. “Victor wait please!”

His lungs felt like they were on fire, the cold air making it hard to breath, but the top of the hill was just ahead, and with any luck Victor would be there. The man could be obnoxiously stubborn when he was upset, but it had never been in his nature to completely ignore Yuri no matter how upset he was. So maybe, just maybe he had heard Yuri calling to him and stopped, was waiting for him just at the top of the hill. That hope was all he needed to push himself forward. His legs felt like lead as he crested the hill, and in spite of his hurry he leaned forward on his knees in an attempt to catch his breath, though he was still gasping as he stood straight again. He looked forward and felt relief wash over him to see the form of the person he had been chasing just ahead of him, he had stopped. They could talk, they _really_ needed to talk, to straighten things out. Yuri’s mind was still reeling a bit from the conversation he and Victor had had before this ridiculous chase began, but he pushed that away for the moment. There would be time to think about that once he reached Victor and got his friend to talk to him.

He took a step forward, but paused when the entirety of the scene before him sunk in. Victor was on his knees, bent forward, with his hands clutching at his chest. In his relief of just _seeing_ that Victor was still there he had completely failed to notice. Forgetting the heaviness in his legs and the burning in his chest he hurried forward, his eyes fixed on his friend.

“Victor!”

Victor didn’t react, as he drew closer he could see the older man’s shoulder shaking, was he crying? A wave of guilt washed over him, and he knew more than ever he needed to fix things. He was only a few feet from him, but still Victor hadn’t moved, hadn’t acknowledged that he had heard Yuri, something was definitely wrong.

“Vic-!”

He was cut off as a powerful wind suddenly slammed into him, nearly knocking him off his feet. Stumbling back, he brought an arm up in an attempt to protect his face from the onslaught of snow that came with the wind, the frozen flakes stinging his skin as they struck. He had never seen a storm like this, if he could even call it a storm. Something just didn’t seem… right about it. Natural. There hadn’t been any warning, no gradual build up, it just suddenly, was. He shook his head and pushed the thought from his mind, the storm wasn’t important, he needed to get to Victor. Squinting he looked forward, but the swirling snow was so thick he couldn’t see a foot in front of him. Keeping his arm raised in front of his face, he stretched the other out to use as a guide and began slowly walking forward again. Victor had been straight ahead of him, so if he kept going just as he was…

“Victor! Victor can you hear me?!”

It was a stupid question, he could barely hear _himself_ over the howling of the wind. Up ahead he thought he saw movement, had Victor heard him after all?

“Victor! Victor answer me! Vic-!”

A hand suddenly clamped onto the wrist of his outstretched hand, causing him to cry out in alarm. The skin under the thick fabric of his coat began to burn, but not from heat, from cold. He cried out again and tried to pull away but the hand held strong. A harsh tug of his arm had him stumbling forward, and he found himself face to face with a being unlike any he had ever seen.

Glowing silvery, blue eyes, fair skin, and long hair the color of the snow swirling around them, he was as stunning as he was terrifying. The figure fixed him with a hard stare, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. It was a look of contempt, disgust, this man this… _being_ that looked as if he shouldn’t exist was looking at him as if he were something vile and disgusting that had no business being there. And Yuri was suddenly very afraid, he wanted to scream for help, to pull away and run like his life depended on it—which it very well might—but he was frozen in place. What did this man want with him? Why was he looking at him with such hate? The man leaned in close to him, and it took everything Yuri had to not instinctively lean away.

“Victor doesn’t need you anymore.“

His voice was like ice, his breath as cold as the wind blowing around them, no, _colder._ It was as if the bitter of winter itself was coming from the man, and suddenly a story from his childhood came to him. The story told of the Lord of Winter, a fantastical man of ice and snow, who would steal away naughty children to his frozen kingdom. It was a favorite story for parents to tell their children in order to get them to behave, one that he had learned during the first winter after he and his family had moved to town. But it was just that, a story. Yuri had never believed there was _actually_ a Lord of Winter that stole children, what would he want with naughty children anyway? But as he looked into the eyes of the man before him, as he felt the cold burning his skin under the man’s touch, he suddenly believed. The Lord of Winter was very real, he was standing right in front of him, and he very clearly _despised_ Yuri.

His eyes went wide as the realization sunk in and the Lord of Winter smirked, but even as the severity of the situation sank in, even as he knew he was in more danger than he could imagine, his mind was focused on something else entirely. The Lord of Winter had said that Victor didn’t need him anymore, what did he mean by that? Victor was upset with him, there was no doubt about that, but surely he didn’t…

Suddenly another realization came to him, and this one made his panic rise. The Lord of Winter wasn’t there because of _him,_ he was there because of _Victor._ He didn’t know why, and at the moment he didn’t really care, all that mattered was getting to Victor. Upset or not, he would grab his friend and drag him back to town if he had to. He yanked his arm back, trying to break free of the grip that had a hold of him like a vice.

“L-Let go!” he shouted, the grip on his arm only tightened. “Victor! Victor you have to run!”

He took a chance to look past the Lord of Winter to where he remembered Victor being. The swirling snow had thinned a little and he was just able to see a vaguely human shaped blob still kneeling in the snow, he hadn’t moved. Yuri knew his voice wasn’t reaching him over the wind, but he tried again, practically screaming his voice raw in the attempt to make himself heard.

“Victor please! You have to hear me! You have to run! Victor!”

His arm was yanked roughly into the air, eliciting a yelp of pain and surprise from his lips as he was pulled even closer to the Lord of Winter. He balanced precariously on his tiptoes, his only real support being the hold the other man had on him. Those cold, silver/blue eyes narrowed at him, and Yuri felt what little fight he had in him drain away.

“So annoying…” he drawled. “Why Victor was so attached to a pathetic little wretch like you is beyond me, but it doesn’t matter. As I said, he doesn’t need you anymore.”

And before Yuri could respond, before his mind could even _think_ of a response the Lord of Winter tossed him aside effortlessly as if he were a rag doll. Though the snow cushioned the impact, the wind was still knocked out of him slightly and his glasses went flying. He took half a second to try and catch his breath before rolling over and frantically searching for his glasses. By time he located them and shoved them back on his face the Lord of Winter had moved away from him and was now kneeling in front of Victor. Yuri watched, frozen in place as the Lord of Winter placed a hand under Victor’s chin and lifted his head so that Victor was looking at him. He spoke to him, but Yuri was too far away to hear what was said. It was at that moment Yuri realized that the swirling wind and snow had slowed considerably.

“Victor!” he shouted, breaking free of his stupor, and finally Victor reacted.

It was slight, a barely noticeable inclination of his head in the direction of Yuri’s shout, but it was there. Yuri felt a surge of relief when he saw it, and opened his mouth to shout again, but then the Lord of Winter’s head snapped towards him and fixed him with his cold stare, his eyes flashing. Yuri’s voice caught in his throat, and his chest suddenly felt tight and very cold, so cold that he found he couldn’t breath. It felt as if frozen hands were wrapped around his lungs and squeezing. He wheezed and gasped, trying desperately to draw breath in as his hands clawed uselessly at the snow. Darkness began to creep in at the corners of his eyes and he could feel himself losing strength, was this how he was going to die? With his breath frozen in his chest and his body numb from the cold?

Suddenly the ice wrapped around his lungs lifted and cold air rushed into them, making his head spin. He coughed and gasped, his head falling forward as he relished in the burn in his chest caused by the frigid air. He remained like that until his coughing had subsided, though his breathing was still heavy and raspy. Slowly he lifted his head and once again looked towards Victor and the Lord of Winter, his vision swimming in and out of focus.

The Lord of Winter had stood and had a hand outstretched to Victor, who was gazing up at him. From where he lay Yuri couldn’t see his face, but a bad feeling was forming in the pit of his stomach. He reached a shaking hand towards his friend.

“V… Victor…” he said weakly.

If either of them heard him they didn’t react. Yuri watched as Victor slowly lifted a hand and placed it in the one held out for him. The Lord of Winter helped him to his feet and after a moment brought his free hand up to gently stroke Victor’s cheek, said something that Victor responded to with a nod. The Lord of Winter smiled, then in a sudden rush of wind and snow the two vanished, and the hill fell still and silent once again.

Yuri’s world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yuuri have been friends since they were kids. They do everything together, one rarely seen without the other. Now adults, a misunderstanding puts their friendship to the test and causes Victor to disappear with the Lord of Winter, a being that was only supposed to exist in stories. Yuuri embarks on a journey to find his friend, but between winter refusing to bow out to spring and the Lord of Winter pushing back at every turn it's not going to be easy. But what really has Yuuri worried is whether or not Victor will even listen to him once he finds him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have the first actual chapter of the story. I’m going to be trying something I’ve never done before, so hopefully it works out. I’m going to be switching between events in the past and events in the present. The past events are going to ultimately lead up to the prologue, while the present tell the main story. I got the idea from [Okaeri_Kairi‘s](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Okaeri_Kairi/pseuds/Okaeri_Kairi) story Separation Anxiety (if you haven‘t read it I HIGHLY recommend it) where she jumps back and fourth between the past and present and I really wanted to try my hand at that. We’ll see how that goes. >.>
> 
> Inspiration for this story is loosely based on the Snow Queen, basically thinking of it as an alternate Snow Queen au.

Yuri woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed. He looked around quickly, his breathing fast and his heart threatening to pound right out of his chest. Light was shining in through the window, illuminating the small, but oddly cozy room. Outside he could just make out the voices of people as they went about their day. Or started their day, he had no idea what time it was. Closing his eyes, he let out a heavy, shaky sigh before taking a few deep breaths to try and calm himself. Once his breathing had returned to normal and his heart wasn’t beating against his ribcage he slowly opened his eyes to stare at his lap. How many times had that day haunted his dreams? How many times had he been forced to watch helplessly as his friend was whisked away by the Lord or Winter like in the stories of his youth? Every time he would awaken from the dream with a start, and every time he would hope and pray it had been just that, a dream. But then he would look around at the walls of an unfamiliar room or the fabric of his tent that barely protected him from the cold and his heart would sink. It was never just a dream.

With another, smaller sigh he flopped back on to the bed to stare at the ceiling, the questions coming to him as they always did. Why had the Lord of Winter targeted Victor? Why had Victor gone with him? Had Victor even been aware of what he was doing? Or had the Lord of Winter put some sort of spell on him? The Lord of Winter had spoken to Victor before they vanished together so it wasn’t entirely impossible. Of course it was equally possible Victor had gone with him in order to get away from Yuri, though he tried to not think of that option. Lifting his left arm, he shifted his gaze to his wrist where an angry looking red hand print stood out against his skin. ’Victor doesn’t need you anymore’ that was what the Lord of Winter had said as he held Yuri’s arm and burned his impression into his skin. What he had said as he glared at Yuri as if he wanted nothing more than for him to disappear. Even after three months it had refused to fade and acted as a constant reminder of the day when everything changed.

Three months… Had it really been that long? He could still remember it as clearly as if it had happened yesterday, could still feel the cold burning into his skin as the Lord of Winter held on to him. Even without the memory plaguing his dreams or the mark on his arm he would never be able to forget that day. No, he wouldn’t _let_ himself forget. Forgetting that day would be the same as forgetting Victor, and he’d just as soon face off against the Lord of Winter than do that. He chose not to remind himself that if he every actually _made_ it to the northernmost mountains he would likely have to do just that.

Letting out another sigh—he seemed to be sighing a lot lately—he sat up again, pushing back the covers and swinging his feet over the edge of the bed. He stretched his arms high above his head before standing and crossing over to the window. Outside the streets were fairly empty, with only a few people here and there hurrying to complete their errands and return to their warm homes. Though it was a couple weeks into spring the weather had refused to break, and snow was still heavy on the ground. More than once Yuri had wondered if winter’s refusal to bow out to spring had anything to do with that day, but almost as soon as the thought would enter his mind he would dismiss it. What purpose would forcing winter to remain beyond when it should serve the Lord of Winter? He had never tried to make winter last longer before, so why do so now? It was something he tried not to think too much about—it wasn’t like he could do anything about it—though it was still a constant thought at the back of his mind, especially when all around him he could see the repercussions of the extended winter. Farmers couldn’t start to plant their crops, food people had stored was starting to run out, shops had started to raise their prices as certain items were harder to come by. It was a mess all over.

Yuri was really starting to hate winter, a season he had always enjoyed as a child. Winter had meant snowball fights and ice skating, cozy fires and hot cider. It had meant running around and spending the day with Victor, goofing off and having fun. Victor _loved_ winter, every year at the first sign of snow he would be outside, laughing and dancing around as the flakes fell around him, at least he would have enjoyed the extended winter. Yuri on the other hand would be perfectly fine if winter never came again. Not only was it making life for everyone hard, but it had also taken his best friend from him. No, winter was not something he was particularly fond of at the moment, even if it _had_ been when he and Victor had first met.

He continued to stare out the window a minute longer before turning away and crossing to the table where his backpack was sitting, he needed to get ready to head out. It was still early, much to his relief, so he should be able to cover a good bit of ground before night fell. But before that, he wanted to get washed up. He had been too tired last night, and it would be a few days before he saw another inn, so this would be the last chance he had. Rummaging through his bag, he found what he needed and went about getting ready for the day.

——————————

_“Victor wait up!”_

_“Try to keep up slow pokes!”_

_“No fair! Your legs are longer!”_

_Victor kicked up snow as he ran, laughing joyously, his long hair flowing behind him. He had a pair of ice skates slung over his shoulder and a burning desire to get them on to the frozen pond that lay on the other side of the hill just outside town. Since the first snow of the season he had been waiting for it to be cold enough for the water in the pond to freeze, so he was more than a little excited. He loved winter, absolutely loved it, he had once told his parents that if he could marry a season he would. Sure he enjoyed the other seasons well enough, but there was just something special about winter that he couldn’t explain. Snow made him giddy, and while others complained about the cold he was exhilarated by it. People in town said his infatuation with winter was just a phase, that as he got older he would grow out of it, but in his completely unbiased, twelve-year-old opinion he didn’t think he would ever get tired of winter. He hoped he wouldn’t anyway, because then he would be a boring adult, and he certainly didn’t want that._

_Before he knew it he reached the top of the hill and looked down, the pond lay below, the morning sun reflecting off it’s frozen surface. His face broke out into a smile that reached his ears, there definitely was no way he would ever get tired of winter. He looked over his shoulder at his friends who were still running to catch up with him._

_“Last one there’s a rotten egg!” he called then threw himself down the hill._

_There were indignant shouts from behind him, but he hardly heard them, his focus was on getting to the ice. As he drew closer he slowed until he came to a stop right at the edge of the frozen pond. He gazed at it, his eagerness and excitement threatening to burst forth from him and he knew he couldn’t wait for his friends to catch up. Hastily brushing some snow off the nearby log, he plopped down and yanked off his boots. By the time his friends finally caught up to him—huffing and wheezing—he had laced up his skates and was ready to step out on to the ice. He turned to look at him, his grin still plastered on his face._

_“About time you got here!”_

_His friends were hunched over trying to catch their breath, one flopped forward on to the log he had been sitting on moments before._

_“You… jerk…” log friend wheezed._

_Victor laughed and turned his attention back to the ice, stepping out on to it. He allowed himself to drift a little ways away from the edge then gave himself a proper push off and_ flew. _All at once every around him faded into oblivion, there was just him, the ice, and the wind blowing through his hair as he picked up speed and glided flawlessly across the smooth surface. He closed his eyes and spread his arms wide, relishing in the feeling of the cold air on his face, the sound of his skates on the ice. There was truly nothing better than this. Soon though simply skating back and forth wasn’t enough, so he decided to get a bit more adventurous. He turned suddenly to skate backwards, building up more speed, before kicking off and soaring through the air. He spun three times before touching back down, landing on one foot with his arms spread wide again. From the edge of the pond he heard his friends gasp and exclaim causing a cheeky smile to play at his lips, they hadn’t seen anything yet._

_He did two more jumps like the one he had just done, one right after the other before gliding along on one foot, his arms now spread so that one was in front of him and one behind. From there he jumped, did a half turn to land on the other foot, then crouched low and began to spin. When he came back up he began to spin faster, his arms stretched over his head, then it was back to gliding on one foot. There was no rime or reason to his moves, but his friends hooted and cheered all the same. Victor stopped, turned to them, and offered an over-dramatic bow, he was grinning from ear to ear as he straightened._

_“That was incredible Victor!”_

_“You’re so good!”_

_“Can you teach me?”_

_Victor’s grin widened at his friend’s praise. They had seen him skate before, had seen his jumps and spins, but it still always amazed them, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t love hearing it, didn‘t love getting to show off and _prove_ that he was good at something. He didn’t excel at much, and was often accused of being unmotivated and lazy. But skating... Skating was the one thing he truly thrived at, the one thing that made him feel whole, complete. Like a part of him was missing until the moment he stepped on to the ice. Sure it wasn’t a practical skill, certainly not something he could use later in life, but he didn’t care. He had time to find such a skill, for now all that mattered was the ice beneath his feet and the cool air on his face._

_His friends were still watching him, waiting for him to respond. He began skating backwards slowly, almost lazily, a contemplative look coming to his face._

_“Well…I suppose I could _try_ and teach you, but don’t be too disappointed if you can’t do it. It may _look_ easy, but that’s just because I know what I’m doing.”_

_If his mother had been there to hear him she would have boxed his ears for bragging. It was fine to be good at something, but boasting about it made one unattractive according to her. That didn’t make any sense to Victor; he was good, and he was proud of the fact that he was good, so why _shouldn’t_ he brag about it? His friends never complained, and it wasn’t like he was ever mean about it, so what was the harm?_

_His friends scrambled into their skates and stepped out on to the ice to join him. Victor suggested they skate around a bit before he tried to show them anything, they didn’t take to the ice as naturally as he did, and the last thing he wanted was for one of his friends to get hurt. Of course there was still some pain once they started working on the moves as his friends repeatedly fell trying to replicate the moves Victor showed them. He purposely showed them easier moves, skating backwards, a few turns, and the most basic jump he knew. After an hour none of them had managed the jump, but they were starting to get the other things down decently._

_“I not going to be able to sit right for a week…” one of his friends complained, Victor laughed._

_“I told you it wouldn’t be easy.”_

_Tired of falling his friends had given up trying to learn his tricks and were now sitting off to the side while Victor continued to skate. He was a little tired from doing his tricks over and over again while his friends tried to copy him, but he wasn’t ready to go home yet, so he settled for skating around the edge lazily. Occasionally he would do a simple spin or skate backwards, but he refrained from doing anything too extraneous._

_“Hey, who’s that?” one of his friends suddenly spoke up._

_Victor looked over at them, but their attention was focused on a large tree further down from where they were sitting. Following their gaze, he glimpsed a mop of messy black hair before it ducked behind the tree. Curious, Victor skated over. The tree was close enough to the pond that he could get right up to it, but he stopped a foot or two away._

_“Hello?” he called as he leaned to try and see around the tree._

_He got no response, but heard the sound of crunching snow as whoever was hiding moved. He slid forward until he was right at the edge of the pond._

_“It’s okay, you can come out.”_

_More crunching snow, but still no response. He was starting to consider stepping off the ice and going around the tree when part of a small face peeked out, it was a young boy. The single eye that Victor could see was wide and uncertain as it stared at him. Victor offered a kind smile._

_“Hi there.”_

_The boy shrunk back slightly, but didn’t completely disappear from view. After some hesitation he started to creep out from behind the tree, but paused at the sound of movement off to the side. Victor’s friends had caught sight of the boy, and now curious, were making their way over. The boy let out a small squeak and ducked back behind the tree, hiding himself once again. Victor quickly held up a hand to stop his friends then waved it to tell them to back off. They obliged, but leaned around and stood on tiptoes to try and get a better look. Hearing them stop Victor lowered his arm, but never took his eyes off the spot where the boy had been._

_“It’s okay,” he said gently. “You don’t have to be afraid, I promise we’re harmless.”_

_Silence, not that he had expected anything else, but after a moment there was movement and the boy once again peeked out from behind the tree. Victor continued to smile, and after a few moments the boy slowly slid around the tree again, though his hands never left the trunk. He gripped at the bark as if it were the only thing keeping him there. He was small, almost surprisingly so, and was definitely younger than Victor, though by how much he couldn’t be sure. His face had a roundness to it that suggested he was a bit on the chubby side, though in an adorable sort of way. Victor had no doubt he would grow out of it as he got older. Eyes the color of chocolate gazed at him, nearly lost behind a pair of glasses that seemed too big for his small face. The boy cast a nervous glance towards his friends, looking ready to bolt at any moment, so Victor knew he’d have to be careful. He shifted his legs, pushing himself backwards a little to give the boy some more space. Catching the movement the boy looked towards him again and tilted his head to the side slightly._

_“What’s your name?”_

_The boy lowered his gaze, fidgeting a bit, clearly debating on weather or not he wanted to answer, Victor found the action incredibly cute. He waited patiently, the smile never leaving his face. Eventually the boy did speak, though his voice was quiet, and there was a nervous quiver to it._

_“Y…Yuri…”_

_“Yuri,” Victor repeated, even his name was cute. “I’m Victor.”_

_The boy nodded silently, his eyes fixed on the ground. Victor watched him a moment before speaking again._

_“Would you like to skate with us Yuri?”_

_Yuri’s head snapped up to look at him, eyes widening, he shrank against the tree, and Victor was afraid he was going to hide behind it again. He certainly was a timid little thing._

_“It’s a lot of fun I promise. If you don’t know how I can teach you.”_

_The younger boy’s shoulders seemed to relax a little bit, though he didn’t move any closer to Victor. He also didn’t move away, so Victor figured that was something at least. He watched as Yuri’s eyes darted around, clearly unsure of what he should do. Eventually he looked at Victor again and opened his mouth to speak, but a sudden shout stopped him and made both of them jump, though Yuri nearly jumped out of his skin._

_“Hey Victor! Can we come over yet?”_

_Yuri huddled himself even closer to the tree, it was a marvel he hadn’t melded with the thing, and cast a wide eyed glance in the direction the shout had come from. Victor did the same, though with a look of annoyance. He wanted to scold his friends for scaring the poor kid who was already clearly very nervous, but he also couldn’t help the tinge of amusement when he saw them huddled together, eyes fixed intently on the two of them. They really were a bunch of dopes._

_“Looks like my friends are eager to meet you Yuri,” he said as he looked to the younger boy again. “Would you like to meet them?”_

_When Yuri looked at him again Victor wasn’t sure what to make of the look on the boys face. He looked inquisitive, confused. As if he didn’t understand why Victor would say what he did. The younger boys next words only threw him more._

_“W-why would they… want to m-meet me…?”_

_Victor blinked and stared at Yuri in bewilderment, was he really so shy that he just assumed people wouldn’t want to meet him? No that didn’t seem right. He sounded like he legitimately didn’t understand why his friends would want to meet him. That didn’t made any sense to Victor either. Meeting people was fun! You couldn’t make friends if you never met anyone, did Yuri not want to make friends? That seemed even more strange, what kid didn’t want friends?_

_“Why… not?” he said uncertainly, still trying to make sense of the boys words. “They’re really nice I swear.”_

_Yuri looked between Victor and his friends, and Victor once again had a feeling the boy was considering making a run for it. Never in his life had he met someone so timid and shy. If he could just convince Yuri to spend some time with them he would see he had nothing to be afraid of. Finally, after several long, tense minutes Yuri gave the smallest nod Victor had ever seen, but it was enough. The smile he had been holding morphed into a large grin and he waved his friends over, they obliged without hesitation. Yuri shrank in on himself but didn’t move. Victor wondered if it was because now that he had agreed he was too determined to hold his ground or if he was simply too afraid to. Maybe it was both._

_It didn’t take long for Victor’s friends to reach them, and when they did Victor was relieved when they stopped a few feet away from Yuri, giving him some space. Victor shot his friends a grateful smile before turning his attention back to the younger boy._

_“Yuri, this is Johna, Eren, and Gregory. Guys, this is Yuri.”_

_There was a chorus of friendly hello’s that Yuri gave a small nod to, muttering his own quiet greeting. He cast an uncertain glance towards Victor, who merely smiled._

_“You’re new to town right?” Eren asked. “Your family took over the inn?”_

_Yuri looked at him in surprise, after a moment he nodded again._

_“Where are you from?” Johna asked._

_“U-um… Ha-Hasetsu…”_

_The three of them exchanged looks before looking at him again._

_“Where’s that?”_

_“Um… Across the ocean.”_

_Surprised exclamations had Yuri scurrying behind the tree and had Victor glaring at his friends, thing had been going so well too. After some gentle coaxing and numerous apologies the younger boy peeked out, though he didn’t come back around the tree. His cheeks were red with embarrassment and didn’t seem to be able to look any of them in the eye. An awkward silence fell between them, no one really knowing what to say. Victor could tell his friend’s wanted to ask Yuri more questions, and he had to admit he was even more curious about the boy than he had been a few minutes ago, but the poor kid was on edge enough without being overwhelmed with questions. There would be plenty of time to learn more about the younger boy, but only if they could get him comfortable enough around them to want to open up._

_“So you never said if you wanted to skate with us,” he finally said. Yuri looked at him and he was pleased when he didn’t shy away._

_“I… I don’t have skates…”_

_“You can use mine,” Eren offered. While still taller than Yuri he was the shortest of his friends so there was a chance his skates would fit the younger boy. Yuri looked uncertain, but eventually nodded._

_“Okay.”_

——————————

Yuri raised a hand to shied his eyes against the bright morning light as he stepped out of the inn, the cold air bit at his skin and he hoped it would warm up a little as the day wore on. Once his eyes had adjusted he lowered his hand and stepped out of the doorway so he wasn’t blocking it, adjusting the straps of his backpack as he did so. He wanted to get to the shops and stock up on a few things before heading out of town. Although as he put his hand in the pocket of his coat and felt his coin purse he began to reconsider it. According to the inn keeper the next town was three days away, if he rationed his supplies carefully he could probably make it there with what he had left. Of course that was assuming he didn’t get held up due to weather which had become completely unpredictable. That thought didn’t sit well with him. Maybe he would get lucky and find some fairly inexpensive traveling rations. With a sigh he gave his pack another shift then made his way down the snow covered streets.

Traveling was expensive. That wasn’t to say he hadn’t expected it not to be, but he _had_ thought he would get a bit further before the worry of money became a thing. Of course when he had left home he had expected spring to be right around the corner, which would have meant merchants lowering the prices of many of their wares. Winter sticking around had certainly complicated things. It wouldn’t be long before shops would have to start closing up if the weather didn’t break soon. Looking around, he debated on which shop he should check first when a shout caught his attention.

“Wait up Hector!”

Looking back, movement caught his eye, and he had just enough time to take a few hurried steps backwards before a child went hurtling past him, laughing without a care in the world. Moments later a second child went rushing past, clearly trying to catch up to the first.

“Hector!”

“Come on keep up!”

Yuri watched as the two weaved in a out of the people milling about the street—fortunately there weren’t many—and felt a pang of nostalgia hit him. How often had Victor and him run through their own town just like that? Skirting around the errand goers and receiving looks of mixed annoyance and amusement that made Yuri want to stop and apologize but went unnoticed by Victor? He felt his chest tighten at the memory and he closed his eyes, allowing himself to get lost in it for a moment. As he listened to the two children laughing he could almost hear his and Victor’s laughs from so long ago.

When he opened his eyes again he felt his determination flare anew. No matter how long it took, no matter the hardships he might face, he _was_ going to reach the northernmost mountains, and he _was_ going to find Victor and bring him home, there was no other option. Mind set, he took a step to head back into the street to quickly do his shopping so he could move on.

And then a large amount of heavy snow was abruptly dumped on his head.

He was _really_ starting to hate winter…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So child Victor is fun, so much energy. XD Looking forward to writing more of him. And child Yuuri! He’s too stinkin cute. ^.^ Not a whole lot going on just yet, but it’s still early, lots more to happen.
> 
> Let me know what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yuuri have been friends since they were kids. They do everything together, one rarely seen without the other. Now adults, a misunderstanding puts their friendship to the test and causes Victor to disappear with the Lord of Winter, a being that was only supposed to exist in stories. Yuuri embarks on a journey to find his friend, but between winter refusing to bow out to spring and the Lord of Winter pushing back at every turn it's not going to be easy. But what really has Yuuri worried is whether or not Victor will even listen to him once he finds him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally we have the next chapter, sorry this took so long. I joined an event on Tumblr where I was paired with an artist to write a story based on a prompt they gave so that, plus life in general, has eaten much of my time. I promise I have no intention of ever letting this story fall into limbo, but there will likely be gaps between updates. Sorry about that. :-/
> 
> This chapter ended up a bit on the long side. I had considered splitting it up, but had a general idea of flow and decided against it. Hopefully it's not too tedious.

The day had started out so well. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, it was a bit colder than he would have liked but that was to be expected. What he _hadn’t_ expected was the large amount of snow that was suddenly deposited on his head. Sputtering, he stumbled backwards. His glasses had been knocked askew, but he hardly noticed because some of the very cold, very _wet_ snow made its way under the collar of his coat and down his back. He let out a yelp and gave his coat a few hard shakes in the hopes of getting the snow out, but most of it had already soaked into his shirt. Sighing, he set to brushing off the snow that had clung to him despite his dancing around. So much for getting an early start.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. Are you all right?”

Yuuri blinked and looked up, pausing in his attempts to dislodge the snow from himself. The face of a young man was peering down at him in concern from the roof of the building next to him. He had dark skin and gray eyes, but beyond that Yuuri couldn’t determine much else.

“I swear I looked before knocking the snow off and didn’t see you.”

Yuuri looked at him a moment longer before returning to his task of cleaning himself off.

“It’s okay. No harm done.” Aside from now he would have to find some place to dry his clothes and lose precious time. Today really wasn’t turning out to be his day.

“Why don’t you come inside? You can dry off and I’ll make you something hot to drink.”

Yuuri looked up again. “No that’s okay, I’ll just…” He trailed off, what _would_ he do? He had already checked out of the inn, and the thought of having to pay for another room just so he could dry his clothes was not a welcome one. Maybe the innkeeper would let him hide out in a back room?

“Please I insist,” the young man above him broke through his thoughts. “It’s my fault after all. The door’s open, I’ll be right down.”

Before he had a chance to respond the young man disappeared from the edge of the roof, Yuuri stared at the spot where he had been before turning his attention to the building. It was a small shop that according to the sign sold tea. He couldn’t recall having seen it during his brief exploration of the town the day before, but then again he hadn‘t exactly been _looking_ for a tea shop so it made sense he had missed it. He considered the shop a moment longer before pushing the door open and stepping inside. A small bell jingled above him, and his nose was immediately assaulted with a dozen or more different scents, stopping him in his tracks. Floral, sweet, spicy, earthy, and a few others he couldn’t place, it was all a bit overwhelming. But as he grew accustomed to it he found the blend to actually be rather pleasant. Eventually he realized he was still standing in the doorway, letting out whatever heat was in the shop and hurriedly stepped further inside and closed the door.

The shop was small, looking as though it could only hold maybe a dozen people at a time comfortably, but was set up to get the maximum use of the space. The back and side walls were lined with shelves that reached the ceiling—wheeled ladders on each wall granted access to the higher shelves—and were filled with neatly organized glass jars. Directly across from the door was a small counter with a doorway behind it that Yuuri assumed lead to a store room. The wall behind him had two large windows flanking the door. The windows were covered with thin curtains that let in some light, but overall the room was rather dim.

Looking around, Yuuri was surprised at just how many jars there were, he didn’t know much about tea and couldn’t believe just how many things could go into it. Curiosity getting the better of him, he moved over to the wall of shelves on his right to get a closer look. He felt a little awkward, feeling like he was being nosey, but it _was_ a shop so it was only natural to look around right?

The jars were organized by what they were: flowers, spices, berries, seeds, fruits, he once again marveled at the assortment. Some of the names he recognized, many he did not, and a few he was surprised to see. Who put pepper in their tea? Without really thinking about it he picked up a jar to get a closer look. The label read Senna Leaf, but offered no further information. He set the jar down and picked up another—Lavender according to the label—this one he recognized. Idly he wondered if there was any green tea and began scanning the shelves where the jars of assorted leaves were.

“Sorry for the wait!”

With an audible gasp Yuuri jumped and spun around, the jar still in his hand slipped from his grasp and smashed loudly to the floor. Dried lavender went everywhere, and Yuuri’s eyes widened in horror. How could he have been so careless? He shouldn’t have been touching anything! Looking to the source of the voice, he saw the young man from the roof standing in the doorway behind the counter. His eyes were on the mess on the floor, but they slowly drifted up to meet Yuri’s. Their eyes locked for only a moment before Yuuri lowered himself into a deep bow.

“I-I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have- I didn’t mean- I can pay for that!”

As if his money situation wasn’t bad enough, this was the last thing he needed. But it wasn’t like he could _not_ pay for it, it had been his mistake after all, and his parents had always taught him to make up for his mistakes. Today just kept getting worse and worse.

There was a long silence, Yuuri could feel his nerves teetering on the edge. He was about to repeat himself when the young man did something that made Yuuri blink in confustion. He laughed. Baffled, Yuuri slowly lifted his head. The young man’s face was scrunched up and his arms were wrapped around his stomach, looking as if he had never seen anything so funny in his life. Yuuri stood completely dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. Eventually the young man’s laughs began to die down, and he opened his eyes to look at Yuuri.

“I’m sorry,” he gasped. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t laugh, but I’ve just never seen anyone apologize so _formally._

Flushing, Yuuri straightened. He tended to forget how odd the customs from his homeland looked to other people. Everyone back home had grown used to them, some had even adopted them, but out here they were as foreign as he was. Although this was the first time anyone had been downright amused by them. The young man looked as if he was fighting back another fit of laughter, Yuuri supposed it was better than him being angry.

“I’ll clean this up,” he offered. “And… I don’t know if I can cover all of it, but I’ll pay you what I can.”

The young man gradually composed himself as he studied him then waved a hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry about it, though I will take you up on the offer to help clean up.”

He disappeared into the back room before Yuuri had a chance to respond, reappearing after a moment with a broom and dustpan. Walking over he handed the dustpan to Yuuri before turning to the task of sweeping up the lavender and broken glass. Yuuri stood there at a loss for words. He knew he should be glad the young man wasn’t insisting to be compensated, but is didn’t sit right with him, He _should_ be insisting, didn’t the saying go “You break it you bought it”? Well Yuuri had certainly broken it, so it was only right he pay for it.

“Please, you have to let me give you something. I-”

The young man raised a hand to cut him off and offered him a smile.

“It’s fine, really. I’ve go plenty more so it’s really not a problem.”

He gestured towards the ceiling as he spoke. Yuuri looked up and for the first time noticed the various plants and flowers hanging from the rafters, one of them being the delicate purple flower he recognized as lavender.

“Besides, it’s sort of my fault for startling you. Sorry about that by the way.”

Yuuri looked at him again and shook his head. “Oh… No it’s okay. I… I shouldn’t have been messing with things.”

“Well it _is_ a shop, so it’s only natural to inspect things right?” He echoed Yuuri’s earlier thoughts. “It’s why I keep the stuff that’s harder to come by on the higher shelves.”

He finished his sentence with a wink, and Yuuri felt a small smile playing at his lips.

“Now come on, lets finish cleaning this up so you can get out of those wet clothes.”

Yuuri had completely forgotten why he had come into the shop in the first place. But now that he had been reminded he became all too aware of the wet patch on the back of his shirt and shivered. With a nod he knelt down so the young man could sweep the lavender and glass into the dustpan. Once it was all swept up Yuuri stood and looked around.

“Er… where should I…?”

“Here.”

The young man took the dustpan and went behind the counter, dumping the contents into something there before heading towards the door that led to the back room. 

“Come on upstairs,” he called over his shoulder. “We can hang up whatever you need to dry.”

“What about your shop?”

“I can usually hear the bell, and if not whoever comes in knows to just yell up the stairs. Not that I think anyone will come in, it’s not exactly my busy time.”

Yuuri still felt guilty pulling the man away from his shop, but decided not to press it. It certainly did seem unlikely anyone would be coming in, just one more shop suffering from the endless winter. So with a nod he followed the young man through the door and up the stairs. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

_The inn was bustling with activity when Victor and his friends entered. Every table in the open dinning room was full and the bar set against the back wall was over-crowded. Victor didn’t think he had ever seen so many people in one room before. The patrons were mostly locals too. Looking around Victor found there were only a few faces he didn’t recognize._

_“Victor maybe we should leave,” Eren said as someone pushed past them to get in the door. “I feel like we’re in the way.”_

_“But we haven’t seen Yuuri yet.”_

_“I really don’t think he’ll be able to come out if they’re this busy.”_

_“But he might!”_

_His friends exchanged looks exasperated looks but Victor ignored them. The four of them were on their way to the pond to skate and generally goof off and Victor had immediately suggested they invite Yuuri along. The younger boy hadn’t opened up much the previous day, and Victor was eager to learn more about him._

_Victor scanned the room, looking for any sign of messy black hair. A young girl around their age, or maybe a couple years older, was weaving around the tables as she checked on guests or occasionally picked something up from a table and placed it in a bin she was carrying. Her short, two-tone hair was pushed back out of her face with a wide scarf so that it feathered out behind her head. Behind the bar a pleasant looking older man with glasses was chatting happily with some of the patrons there. There was a door to the right of the bar and from it Yuuri finally appeared, carrying a tray of drinks. Victor’s face lit up when he saw him._

_“Yuuri!” he called as he threw a hand into the air and waved excitedly._

_The younger boy jumped, unbalancing the tray in his hands and sending it tumbling to the floor with a loud crash. Heads jerked in the direction of the sound as the room went silent, Victor’s face fell and he lowered his arm. Yuuri stared down at the mess on the floor before looking up frantically, he immediately shrank away when he saw everyone staring at him._

_“Oh no, Yuuri what happened?”_

_A short, slightly plump woman with chin length hair and glassed had appeared at the doorway. She looked down at the floor before lifting her gaze to Yuuri with a look of concern._

_“I told you you were carrying too much.”_

_The young girl had come over. She put her hands on her hips, looking exasperated, as she stared down at the younger boy. Yuuri looked on the verge of tears as he looked between the two of them._

_“I-I…”_

_“I’m so sorry it’s my fault!” Victor called as he hurried over. All three of them, as well as most of the patrons, looked at him. “I called out without thinking and startled him, please don’t be angry with him.”_

_Yuuri’s eyes widened when he saw Victor before looking between the woman and the young girl uncertainly. The young girl raised an inquisitive eyebrow while the woman looked momentarily surprised before offering a warm smile._

_“Oh I’m not angry dear, accidents happen. So long as no one was hurt it’s fine.” She looked down at Yuuri, the concern returning to her eyes. “You’re not hurt right Yuuri?”_

_Yuuri looked down and quickly shook his head._

_“N-no I… I’m okay…” The woman smiled and patted his head._

_“So who are you exactly?” the young girl asked, she was looking Victor up and down._

_“Mari don’t be rude.” the woman scolded as she looked over._

_“It’s okay,” Victor said with a shake of his head. “I’m Victor. This is Gregory, Eren, and Johna. We were coming to see if Yuuri wanted to come skating with us again.”_

_The woman’s face lit up as she looked at Victor again, she was practically glowing with excitement as she clapped her hands together happily._

_“Oh Yuuri! Are these friends of yours? How wonderful!”_

_Yuuri hunched into his shoulders as his face went bright red._

_“Um…”_

_“We met yesterday,” Victor explained. “We can come back later. I didn’t think it would be so-”_

_“Oh don’t be silly, the worst is over now. Yuuri go ahead with your friends, we can handle things from here.”_

_Yuuri looked up at her in surprise. “But mom-”_

_“Don’t worry dear, we’ll be fine. Although you should probably change first. Go on now.”_

_Victor looked at Yuuri the same time the younger boy looked down at himself, he winced slightly. Yuuri’s shoes and the bottom of his pants were soaked from the spilled tray of drinks. Victor felt a pang a guilt and looked up at the woman he now knew to he Yuuri‘s mother._

_“I’ll clean this up,” he offered. “It’s my fault this happened.”_

_“You don’t have to do that dear, it’s fine. I can take care of this.”_

_“I insist. Please?”_

_Yuuri’s mother looked surprised for a moment, but then smiled warmly._

_“Well aren’t you the gentleman? All right, Mari show him where the mop is will you?” She looked to her son. “Hurry along Yuuri, don’t want to keep your friends waiting.”_

_Victor looked to the younger boy again. He was staring pointedly at his feet, his hands fidgeting in front of him. When his mother spoke to him he jumped and his hands dropped quickly to his sides. He gave a barely noticeable nod before trudging off. Victor watched him go before falling into step being the young girl, Mari, who had motioned for him to follow. She led him through the door beside the bar, which Victor discovered lead to a large kitchen. The smells in here were heavenly, if the food tasted even half as good as it smelled he could understand why so many people were here. Mari stopped by a narrow door near the back corner, opening it and pulling out a mop and bucket. Victor took the items when she held them out._

_“Um… is Yuuri okay?” he asked tentatively._

_“What do you mean?”_

_“Well… He just doesn’t seem too excited about going out with us. Did we do something wrong?”_

_“You mean besides making him spill an entire tray of drinks in front of an entire room full of people? Victor flinched. Mari considered him a moment before letting out a soft sigh._

_“Yuuri’s really shy, he always has been. He didn’t have very many friends back home, and the move here was harder on him than the rest of us. He’s still adjusting, so it’ll probably be a little while before he’s comfortable around you and your friends. If you’re serious about being friends with him, then you’ll have to be patient with him.”_

_Victor let her words sink in. Yuuri’s shyness had been obvious from the moment they met, but once he had finally detached himself from the tree he had been trying to hide behind Victor had thought he had fun. He hadn’t said much the entire time they were been together—even when directly spoken to— but Victor hadn’t given it much thought. Now he realized the younger boy’s silence had been out of his unease around the new boys. Victor wanted to get to know Yuuri better, they all did, but how could they do that if the younger boy was afraid to give them the chance?_

_“What do you suggest?” he asked, Mari tilted her head. “How can we get closer to Yuuri without scaring him off?”_

_There was a flash of surprise in her eyes before they softened and she gave him an approving smile._

_“Like I said, just be patient with him. Don’t push too much on him too fast, let him open up on his own.”_

_Victor nodded, that sounded easy enough. Mari turned and made her way back towards the main room, Victor followed but was forced to stop abruptly when Mari suddenly rounded on him and pointed an accusing finger at him._

_“But if you hurt him in any way I’ll kick your butt myself.”_

_Victor gaped at her as words completely failed him. He wanted to assure her that he had no intentions of hurting Yuuri, but all he managed was to open and close his mouth like a fish out of water. Mari gave a pleased smirk, clearly delighted with his reaction, before turning and strolling through the doorway with her head held high. Victor stood there for several long seconds before swallowing and walking through the doorway himself._

Yuuri’s sister is scary… _he thought_

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“So what’s your name?”

Yuuri looked over the rim of his cup, pausing mid sip. He and the young man were seated at a small table in the middle of the young man’s home. It was a small, one room space with a simple bed in one corner and a small stove in the other. A set of shelves lined one wall, while a single window rested in the middle of another facing out towards the street below. It was simple, but still felt comfortable and homey. It made Yuuri miss his own home very much.

“Yuuri,” he said after lowering his cup. The young man had insisted on making them tea, and had been silently delighted to learn he had green.

“Yuuri.” the young man repeated as if testing it out. He gave an approving nod and smiled “Nice to meet you Yuuri, I’m Phichit”

Yuuri couldn’t help but return the smile. “It’s nice to meet you as well. I’m sorry again for putting you through all this trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I’m the one who dumped snow on you so it‘s the least I can do. Sorry again about that.”

Yuuri shook his head. “It’s all right.”

It felt strange to be sitting in someone’s home after months of being inside nothing but inns or his small tent. Even though Phichit insisted it was fine he still felt like he was intruding, especially considering what had happened downstairs. Phichit had firmly refused his offer to pay for the ruined lavender when Yuuri brought it up again. He considered offering again before leaving, or maybe he would just leave some money when Phichit wasn‘t looking since he had a feeling the younger man would just refused again if he said anything. Granted he had no idea how much an entire jar of dried lavender cost, but leaving something was better than leaving nothing at all right?

“So where are you from?”

The sudden question brought Yuuri out of his thoughts with a start. He blinked slowly at Phichit, realizing after a moment he hadn’t actually taken in what he had said.

“Sorry, what?”

“I asked where you were from. I haven’t seen you around before, are you new to town?”

“Oh, um, I guess you could say that? I’m from Trevin, though I’m just passing through.”

“Trevin? That’s pretty far off, what are you doing all the way out here?”

Yuuri’s grip on his cup tightened. “I’m…”

This was why he didn’t get friendly with the locals. When he took the time to sit down and chat these questions always came up, and he was left scrambling to find a believable enough answer. The few times he _had_ told the truth, usually over one too many drinks the curious locals pushed on him, he had been met with mixed reactions. Many had laughed and believed him crazy, while a few had suddenly gone silent and quickly excused themselves. Once he had even been asked to leave. That was the last time he allowed the truth to slip out of his mouth. He hated lying—quite frankly he was terrible at it—so after that he had been careful to keep others at a distance. So much for that.

“I’m… going to see a friend,” he said eventually, hoping the pause hadn’t been too noticeable. If it was Phichit gave no indication. It wasn’t entirely a lie, but it was as close to the truth as he dared.

“Heck of a time to be going to see a friend.”

Yuuri gave a weak laugh. “Yeah well, I wasn’t exactly expecting winter to stick around so long when I set out.”

Phichit hummed in acknowledgment. “Where are you heading? Not too much further I hope.”

“Er…”

Yuuri thought back to his map, trying to remember the name of a town, any town that was further along on his journey, but none came to him. Phichit tilted his head to the side. Yuuri knew he was taking too long to respond, but his mind had come completely blank. In all honesty he hadn’t paid all that much attention to the towns on his map. There was only one name on there that mattered to him, the only name that was in his head now.

“He… He lives… um…” He scrambled a few more seconds for a name before finally giving up with a sigh. “He lives near the Kreska Mountains.”

He mumbled the last part, but judging by how wide Phichit’s eyes had gone he had heard loud and clear.

“The Kreska… That’s like, really, really far north isn’t it?” Yuuri nodded mutely. “And you’re going all the way out there by yourself?” Another nod, Phichit sank back in his chair. “Huh. That’s… pretty incredible.”

“I know it sounds impossible, but I-what?” Yuuri blinked and stared at Phichit as his words sunk in, Phichit smiled.

“I said that’s incredible. Traveling all that way, seeing what there is to see. I mean it’s a little crazy too given the weather but… He must be some friend.”

Yuuri continued to stare at him a moment then looked down at his tea, the cup was starting to grow cool under his hands. Crazy. Phichit had no idea just how crazy the whole thing was.

“He is…” he said quietly.

Phichit gave a thoughtful hum and silence fell between them. Yuuri continued sipping at his tea, suppressing a shudder as the cooling liquid slid down his throat. He hated when tea got cold.

“Guess you’re pretty eager to get back on the road huh?” Yuuri looked at him.

“Huh? Oh, kinda yeah.” A pause. “Not that I’m upset about what happened! Or don’t appreciate what you’ve done I just… I mean…”

Phichit laughed, and Yuuri felt his shoulder slump in embarrassment. He really was bad at this sort of thing.

“Hey don’t worry about it, I get it. As far as you have to go I’d be eager too.”

He stood and walked over to Yuuri’s coat that hanging by the stove, plucking it off the hook and feeling it over.

“Your coat’s just about dry, so you should be good to go whenever you’re ready. I’d say at least finish your tea, but I’m guessing from that grimace earlier it’s lost it’s appeal.”

Yuuri flushed and looked down at the table, Phichit certainly was perceptive. He mumbled an apology that Phichit waved off before walking back over to him with his coat. Yuuri looked up as the younger man approached and stood, taking his coat when it was offered.

“And before you say it, no I don’t want you paying for the lavender.”

Yuuri sputtered, an argument immediately shooting to the tip of his tongue, but one look at Phichit and it died right there. The younger man’s face was set, stern and decided, and Yuuri knew there was nothing he could say to change his mind. With a sigh he nodded and started to pull on his coat. Phichit gave a triumphant grin before shifting his gaze past Yuuri, his smile quickly faded.

“Whoa.”

Yuuri paused and looked up, but Phichit was moving past him towards the window. Turning on the spot, Yuuri followed him with his eyes and when he looked at the window his heart sank. The view outside had gone completely white.

“Where in the world did this come from? It was clear a minute ago, I can’t even see the street! It’s a good thing I _did_ dump that snow on your head otherwise you’d be out in that right now.”

Yuuri tried to be grateful about that, he had been caught in snow storms before and they weren’t fun. But at the moment all he could think about was how he wasn’t going anywhere any time soon and would more than likely have to spend money he really didn’t have on another night at the inn. With a dejected sigh he finished pulling on his coat before going for his bag.

“What are you doing?”

Yuuri paused and looked over his shoulder. Phichit had turned away from the window and was watching him. His eyes shifted from Yuuri, to his bag, then back to him, he frowned.

“The storm looks like it’s going to be sticking around for a while. I need to get to the inn before they run out of rooms, assuming they haven’t already.”

“Are you insane?! You can’t go out there in that!” He gestured to the window for emphases.

“Well it’s not like I have much choice do I? Besides it’s not that far.”

He turned away and went to pick up his bag. Hurried footsteps caught his attention, and when he paused to look Phichit was suddenly there. He grabbed Yuuri’s bag and pulled it away before he could get a hand on it. Yuuri looked at him in surprise.

“What are you-”

“Not far or not, it’s not safe to go wandering around in a storm like that. You can stay here.”

“Wha- Phichit no. You don’t have to- I’ll be fine really.”

Phichit wasn’t listening. He hoisted Yuuri’s bag up, knees buckling slightly under the weight, and carried it further into the room before plopping it back down on the floor near the far wall. He let out a light huff.

“Jeez, what do you have in this thing?

“Phichit…”

“Yuuri, I’m sorry but I can’t in good conscience let you go out in that storm. What kind of host would I be if I did that? Besides, do you really want to spend money on a room at the inn? I can’t imagine their prices are exactly cheap right now.”

Yuuri faltered. He really didn’t want to spend the extra money, but he was far too embarrassed to admit that. People already thought he was crazy for making this journey in the first place, but admitting he had done so without really considering the cost…

“I don’t want to put you out…” he mumbled, averting his gaze.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not a problem. Besides, it’ll be nice to have some company while waiting out the storm.”

Yuuri looked up at that. Phichit was grinning from ear to ear and Yuuri found himself in slight awe of the younger man. He was clearly someone who didn’t sweat the small stuff, just let things happen as they came and rolled with it. It was a quality Yuuri had always admired in others but had never had himself, although he liked to think he had been getting better about it.

 _Victor would have liked him,_ he thought idly as he felt himself returning Phichit’s smile. Clearly it was contagious.

“Okay.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Ah Vitya, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

The Lord of Winter’s castle wasn’t large, it didn’t need to be, but he still had had trouble locating his single guest. He finally found him in the library, book in his lap forgotten as he stared out the window with his chin resting in his hand. Startled out of his gaze, he looked over at the Lord of Winter and frowned.

“Don’t call me that.”

The Lord of Winter tilted his head curiously. “But I thought you liked your nickname?”

Victor looked away. “Not anymore…”

The Lord of Winter allowed a small smirk to play at his lips before shifting his face to one of neutrality.

“I shall keep that in mind.”

Silence fell between them after that. Victor’s gaze had returned to the window, but eventually he sighed and looked over again.

“Why were you looking for me?”

“Ah yes, I wanted to show you something.”

He brought his hands up before him and swirled them around, forming a sphere out of ice. Giving it a gentle push it glided through the air until it stopped to hover before Victor. Victor looked at it curiously before looking to the Lord of Winter.

“What’s this?”

“Just look,” the Lord of Winter gestured to the floating sphere.

Victor turned his gaze back to the sphere as the swirling mist inside began to slow. The Lord of Winter watched as victor leaned in closer, brow furrowed, before letting out a small gasp. 

“Yuuri…”

The mist had settled into an image of Yuuri sitting at a small table with another person with dark skin and hair. The Lord of Winter was no fool. He knew Yuuri had set out, determined to find Victor and bring him home. Not that the Lord of Winter thought he had a chance in doing so, but he had still decided to keep an eye on the troublesome pest. When his spying had shown him this latest development he decided to use it to his advantage.

Victor was still staring at the image in the sphere, the look on his face a mixture of shock and confusion.

“Who… Who is that…?” he finally asked.

The Lord of Winter gave a small shrug. “A new acquaintance by the looks of it. Only three months and he’s already replaced you.”

Victor furrowed his brow again as he studied the image. The Lord of Winter had no idea what he was looking for, but eventually he shook his head.

“No… Yuuri looks too uncomfortable, this is someone he’s just met.” He looked over. “Where is he?”

The Lord of Winter couldn’t keep his surprise from showing. “What?”

“I’ve never seen this person before, and they’re not at the inn in Trevin. Where is this?”

Now it was the Lord of Winter’s turn to furrow his brow, this was not the reaction he had been expecting at all. Victor was supposed to think his precious Yuuri had moved on and forgotten all about him, not ask these ridiculous questions. Nothing about the scene in the sphere had seemed amiss to him, it was why he had decided to show it to Victor in the first place, so how was it _he_ had noticed something was off? And to immediately conclude that Yuuri was no longer in Trevin… He had to think quickly to salvage this.

“Perhaps he decided to travel? The two of you talked about it didn’t you?”

Victor looked at him before looking back to the sphere and finally there it was. The look of hurt and betrayal the Lord of Winter had been expecting. 

“But… We were supposed to go together…”

The air around them suddenly grew even colder, the pages of the book in Victor’s lap began fluttering as wind and snow began to swirl around them. The Lord of Winter didn’t bother trying to hide his pleased smile, he knew Victor wasn’t paying attention to him. Victor’s eyes were focused on the sphere as the wind picked up. Suddenly he brought a hand up and slammed it against the sphere as the unknown young man picked up what was obviously a travel bag.

The wind abruptly stopped.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Yuuri woke late into the night. He didn’t know what had awoken him, but now that he was up he felt wide awake—much to his annoyance. The last thing he needed was to be sleep deprived when he set out in the morning. Assuming of course he _could_ set out in the morning. He could still hear the storm raging outside, sounding just as strong as it had when it started.

Maybe that was what had awoken him. Ever since the day Victor had been taken snow storms put him on edge. He could still remember the feeling cold wrapping around his lungs, freezing his breath in his chest while he lay helpless in the snow. His chest began to tighten at the memory and he sat up quickly, forcing himself to take a few slow, deep breath to calm down. He could really go for another cup of tea. No doubt the familiar taste had been what allowed him to relax enough to sleep despite the storm outside.

With a sigh he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the cot with a hand at his chest. For a moment he considered making himself another cup but quickly pushed that thought aside. He felt awkward enough with everything Phichit had already done for him, he would have to find another way to get to sleep.

He hefted himself off the cot and wandered over to the window. The snow was almost a solid wall of white outside, falling so thick he couldn’t see the building he knew was right across the street. This really was some storm. He idly wondered what had made the Lord of Winter so angry and felt his stomach clench at the though, suddenly he didn‘t want to be standing there. Dropping his gaze he started to turn away, but paused when something caught his attention. He blinked and turned back, taking a step closer to the window and squinting out into the storm.

Someone was standing in the middle of the street.

He had to be seeing things, no one in their right mind would be out in a storm like this. Blinking a few times, he waited for the blurry figure to fade away. When it didn’t he felt his curiosity rise. He stepped back to the cot to fetch his glasses, slipping them on as he came back to the window. Once everything came into focus he looked out the window once more and felt his breath catch in his throat as a pair of all too familiar blue eyes stared up at him.

“Victor…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens! Sort of. >.> Okay maybe it's more simmering? Anyway! Are people still enjoying this? I know not a whole lot has happened yet, but I promise there's plenty more to come!
> 
> As I mentioned, I plan on jumping back and forth between the past and present, but as you can see I'll _also_ be jumping to Victor and the Lord of Winter. Can't very well leave Victor out of this now can I?
> 
> As usual comments and feedback are much appreciated! ^.^


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yuuri have been friends since they were kids. They do everything together, one rarely seen without the other. Now adults, a misunderstanding puts their friendship to the test and causes Victor to disappear with the Lord of Winter, a being that was only supposed to exist in stories. Yuuri embarks on a journey to find his friend, but between winter refusing to bow out to spring and the Lord of Winter pushing back at every turn it's not going to be easy. But what really has Yuuri worried is whether or not Victor will even listen to him once he finds him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, has it really been TWO MONTHS since I last updated??? @.@ Dear lord... I'm so sorry for anyone who may have been waiting for this. Between finishing up the YOI Reverse Bang and starting work on a cosplay I need to have done by next month this kinda went on the back burner.
> 
> AND OF COURSE I'm going to be taking part in another bang so my time will again be stretched, but I'm going to do my best to not go so long without updating this.
> 
> And now without further ado, here's what's you're really here for, the next chapter!

_Yuuri was never leaving his room again. He would just hide under his blankets and let the world continue on around him. Of course realistically he knew he couldn‘t_ actually _do that—his parents would never allow him for one—but at the moment his 8-year-old mind was telling him it was the best idea in the world. At the very least he was never leaving the inn again, not while there was a chance he would run into Victor and his friends. There was no way he could face them after what he had done._

_He felt so stupid. Victor and his friends had been nothing but nice to him, inviting him along with them despite being so much younger, asking him questions to get to know him, offering information about themselves in return. And he had been anything but appreciative. His parents had been encouraging him to make friends ever since they arrived here, and he had blown what might have been his only chance at doing so._

_Maybe this was for the best, he was younger than them after all, it honestly made no sense why they would want to be friends with him anyway. Sooner or later they would get tired of having some little brat following them around and leave him behind. It was definitely better to cut ties now than to have his heart broken later, he didn’t need friends._

_Fresh tears began to pool up in his eyes and he buried his face into his pillow. No, that wasn’t right, he needed_ his _friends. He needed Yuuko and Nishigori, he missed them so much, they always understood when he was feeling like this. Well, Yuuko understood anyway, Nishigori would usually just roll his eyes but would sit with Yuuri anyway until he calmed down. He wondered if the letter he had written had reached them yet. His mother said it would take a while because they were so far away and it was winter._

_He missed Hasetsu. He missed the small beach nestled behind their house and waking up every morning to the sounds of the waves as they rolled in and the cries of the seagulls. He missed wandering the village and talking to the shop owners, on occasion some of them would give him, Yuuko, and Nishigori sweets. Sometimes they would even give Yuuri an extra one since he was younger. But most of all he missed the quiet of Hasetsu. Being a small fisherman’s village nothing overly exciting ever really happened there, aside from the seasonal festivals that is. But here everyone always seemed to be moving, the streets were always bustling, and busy, and_ noisy. _The first time he had gone to the market with his mother had been a nightmare. They were still relatively new to town at the time so everyone had been curious about them. His mother had been more than happy to talk to the locals, but every time they turned their attention to Yuuri he had tried to hide behind his mother’s skirt. In the end, she had to take him home with not even half the shopping done because he became too overwhelmed and started crying._

_It wasn’t fair, why did they have to move here? They had a good life in Hasetsu, so why did they have to go to a place that was unfamiliar and scary? He buried his face further into his pillow as he cried harder, ignoring how his glasses were pressing uncomfortably into his face. He wanted to go home. Maybe if he told his parents how miserable he was they would go back, or at the very least maybe they would send him back. He could live with Minako! Or maybe Yuuko or Nishigori’s parents would take him in, he spent so much time at either home he practically lived there anyway. Of course, then he would be without his family, and he liked that idea even less than being here without Yuuko and Nishigori. No matter what he was going to be miserable._

_A tapping sound at his window broke him out of his thoughts, his head snapped up and looked towards it. He blinked and stared at it with uncertainty, was there someone outside his window? No that was impossible, his room was one the second floor so there_ couldn’t _be someone outside his window. A bird maybe? But it had sounded more like a knock than the tapping of a beak. He continued to stare at his window, and just when he was starting to think he had imagined it the tapping came again, this time a little louder. There was definitely something out there._

_He didn’t know what to do, should he go and get Mari or his parents? But then whatever was out there might leave before they got back and it would look like he was making up stories. He could just ignore it, but when the tapping came for a third time he knew that whatever was out there wasn’t going away until he answered. That thought made him uneasy. Steeling himself he slowly sat up, draping his legs over the side of his bed. He kept his eyes focused on his window as he stood and crept as quietly as he could towards it. Once he was standing before it his resolve started to waver, what if it was a monster wanting to steal him away into the night? He nearly turned and ran back to his bed at that thought but then shook his head hard, he was letting his imagination get the better of him. Pushing the thought from his mind he raised a trembling hand to grasp the curtain. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before flinging the curtain back._

_It wasn’t a monster. Or a bird._

_“V-Victor?!”_

_The older boy was perched on a tree branch outside his window, when he saw Yuuri he grinned and raised a hand in greeting—the one not holding on to the branch above his head—Yuuri stared at him dumbfounded. He blinked a few times, certain that one of the times he would open his eyes and Victor would be gone, but every time he was still there. Yuuri stood there unsure of what to do. Part of him wanted to close the curtain and pretend he had never seen Victor, but another part was curious as to why he was there, and outside his window of all places! Did he come all the way here just to make fun of Yuuri for earlier? The thought of that possibility alone was enough to make him grip the curtain and ready himself to pull it shut, but when Victor frowned he hesitated. He stood conflicted for several moments before sighing and gripping the bottom of the window, might as well get this over with. He slid the window open and leaned out._

_“Victor?”_

_Victor smiled at him, though it was more subdued that the large grin he had had a minute ago._

_“Hi Yuuri!_

_Yuuri blinked, he didn’t_ sound _angry._

_“Um… hi…?” he said carefully. “What are you- Why are you in a tree?”_

_“I wanted to talk to you, and didn’t know if I would be allowed in the front door.”_

_Yuuri tilted his head to the side. “Why wouldn’t you be allowed in the front door?”_

_Victor rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Because your sister is scary…” Yuuri paled._

_“Oh no… What did she do…?”_

_“Ah, she said if we hurt you in any way she would kick out butts.”_

_And Yuuri had come home crying without giving any explanation as to why before locking himself in his room. Yuuri groaned and covered his face with his hands as it burned with embarrassment, it was a miracle Mari hadn’t gone after Victor and his friends the moment Yuuri had returned home. Could today get any worse? He backed away from the window a step and lowered himself into a deep bow._

_“I’m really sorry. Mari she… She can be really over protective sometimes. I-I’ll talk to her, I’ll make sure she doesn’t bother you. So-”_

_“Yuuri, Yuuri it’s okay really. It’s nice she looks out for you like that. Honestly I’m sort of jealous.”_

_Yuuri remained bowed, but he lifted his head to look at Victor._

_“J-Jealous?”_

_Victor nodded. “I’m an only child, but I’ve always wanted a sibling. It would be like having a live-in best friend!”_

_“I… guess?” Yuuri said as he slowly straightened. He and Mari got along well as far as siblings went, even if it sometimes felt like Mari lived to embarrass him. Although their age difference meant they didn’t spend a lot of time together outside the inn. He was still going to talk to her about what she said to Victor._

_An awkward silence fell between the two, or at least it felt awkward to Yuuri. He had gotten over the initial shock of finding Victor outside his window, but now he wasn’t sure what to_ do _about it. Victor had said he wanted to talk, talk about what? What had happened earlier? That was the last think Yuuri wanted to even_ think _of, let along talk about. He looked off to the side, fidgeting uncomfortably as he tried to think of something to say. Maybe if he said the right thing Victor would get the idea that Yuuri really didn’t want to talk and then leave. Before he could think of that thing however Victor cleared his throat, drawing Yuuri’s gaze back over to him._

_“Um… Would it be all right if I came in? My leg is starting to cramp up.”_

_Yuuri jumped. “O-oh! Um…” He looked around frantically as if his room would offer an answer as to what he should do. “I… I don’t… I mean…. Um…” When his room offered no answers he looked to Victor again, who was watching him expectantly with a gentle smile on his face._

_Yuuri flushed and looked down, this could be his chance to get Victor to go away. All he had to do was tell him no, that he couldn’t come in, that Yuuri didn’t want to talk. It was a single word, he could manage a single word. Just say no, close the window, and pretend like he had never met the silver haired boy. Victor would quickly forget about him and things would go back to the way they were. All he had to do was say no._

_“O-Okay…”_

_He heard Victor let out a breath that sounded like a sigh of relief followed by rustling. Yuuri looked up to see the older boy shifting along the branch to get closer to his window, causing him to let out a small squeak and hurry over to help him. Victor waved him back however so Yuuri watched anxiously as Victor crept closer and closer to the end of the branch. When he was close enough he reached his free hand out to grasp the side of the window before releasing the branch above his head to do the same on the other side of the window. Adjusting his grip, he lifted himself out of his crouch and expertly hopped over on to the windowsill. Quickly lowering himself, he swung his legs into the room so that he was sitting on the sill before slipping the rest of the way into the room. Yuuri watched the whole thing in awe, his mouth hanging open slightly. Victor brushed himself off and adjusted his clothes before looking over at him, he tilted his head to the side._

_“What?”_

_Realizing he had been staring Yuuri snapped his mouth shut and looked away, his cheeks were bright red._

_“I-It’s… You… Um…” His eyes flicked to the window before looking at a spot on his wall. “E-Everyone’s in bed… You… You could have… used the front door…”_

_Victor looked at the window then looked back at him, after a moment a mischievous smile spread across his face._

_“Well where would the fun be in that?”_

_Yuuri looked at him quickly, his mouth open in disbelief. Victor winked at him before looking around, missing the fresh blush that spread across Yuuri’s cheeks._

_“So, this is your room?”_

_Recovering quickly, Yuuri forced himself to get a grip on himself before looking at Victor. He nodded._

_“Um, yeah. It… It’s not much but…”_

_Yuuri’s room was small and fairly plain. A simple bed against one wall, a small desk against another, and a short dresser tucked into a corner were the only pieces of furniture. Victor barely noticed them as his eyes were drawn to the wall behind the desk where a number of colorful drawings stood out against the otherwise barren walls. Stepping over, Victor leaned in closer to get a better look at them._

_“Did you draw these Yuuri? They’re really good.”_

_Yuuri let out a panicked noise before scrambling over to stand between Victor and his desk. He held his arms up in an attempt to block the drawings, but it had little effect seeing as how he was shorter than the other boy. Realizing this, Yuuri lowered his arms and looked down closing his eyes tightly. Why was this happening? Why did Victor have to come here? Yuuri hadn’t expected to ever see him again after what had happened earlier, why did the world seem to hate him?_

_“Am I making you uncomfortable?”_

_Victor spoke quietly, and there was a tone Yuuri couldn’t place. His eyes snapped open and he looked up at the older boy who was looking at him with a concerned frown. That didn’t seem right, why would he be concerned? Once again Yuuri didn’t know what to say or do, he wanted to deny Victor’s question but really, he didn’t think he had ever felt so uncomfortable in his life. Which quite frankly was saying something._

_“I… Um… I mean… You… Uh…” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing himself to calm down. When he spoke again he managed to keep his voice steady. “Why are you here Victor?”_

_Victor looked at him a moment before stepping away, putting some distance between them. Whether it was for his benefit or Yuuri’s Yuuri didn’t know, but he was glad for it._

_“I told you, I wanted to talk.”_

_Yuuri gripped the hem him his shirt, twisting it nervously in his hands as he looked down at the floor._

_“I… I’m s-sorry… about earlier, I… I…” He could feel the tears prickling at his eyes and forced them back, he was not about to cry in front of Victor._

_“Why did you run off?”_

_His voice was quiet again, almost gentle, like he was trying to avoid scaring Yuuri. Yuuri flinched anyway._

_“I-I…” His voice cracked, he was going to cry. “I’m sorry…”_

_He wanted to run, to get as far away from Victor as possible. But if he did that his family would find out that Victor had snuck into his room, and he had already caused enough problems for the older boy without getting him into trouble too. Not to mention he was already home so it wasn’t like there was anywhere for him to go, he never should have let Victor in._

_Movement in front of him caused him to look up, his eyes meeting startling blue, Victor had knelt so that they were eye level. Yuuri forced himself to remain where he was even though he desperately wanted to back away. He settled for looking down again._

_“Yuuri… I promise I’m not mad, none of us are. We’re just confused, we thought you would be happy to come out with us again. Do you not like us?”_

_Yuuri’s head snapped up again, he shook his head furiously._

_“N-no! That’s not… I mean I do I…”_

_“Then why did you run away earlier?”_

_“I…” Yuuri mentally scrambled as he tried to think of how best to explain. “I got… scared…”_

_Victor blinked. “Scared?”_

_“Well… Not scared but… Um… It… It was all… too much._

_“Too much?” Victor questioned, Yuuri nodded._

_“I… I’m not very good around new people… I get nervous and afraid I’ll say or do the wrong thing. And_ everything _here is new, everyone is new, nothing is familiar and… I…” The tears were falling now but he ignored them. Now that he had started talking he couldn’t stop. “I miss Hasetsu, I miss my friends back home. I-”_

_His sobs stopped him from saying anything else. With as much crying as he had been doing since returning home it was a wonder he still had any tears left to shed, but there they were. Victor was staring at him wide eyed, he glanced around hopelessly, clearly unsure of what to do which only made Yuuri cry more. He was so pathetic, so weak, and now Victor was seeing that. That the small boy he had shown how to ice skate was a big crybaby and not worth being around._

_“Y-you can leave…” he eventually choked out. “You… You don’t have to force yourself to be around me…”_

_Victor’s eyes settled on him again, the panic shifting to confusion._

_“Yuuri… Is that what you think? That we don’t want to be around you?” Yuuri sniffled and didn’t respond. “We invited you out today because we had fun with you yesterday. Did you not have fun?”_

_Yuuri sniffled again, he was slowly starting to calm down. “I… I did…”_

_“When you ran away earlier we thought we had done something to offend you, or that you just really weren’t interested in being friends. Maybe… we can try this again?”_

_Yuuri had finally stopped crying. He wiped away the stray tears as he looked at Victor uncertainly._

_“You… You really want to be friends with me?”_

_Victor nodded. “Only if that’s what you want.”_

_Yuuri lowered his gaze. Victor and his friends weren’t mad at him for running away, they had been_ worried _about him. Victor had come here to talk to him and make sure he was okay. And even after running away they still wanted to be his friends. Yuuri wasn’t sure he deserved a second chance like this, but he decided he was going to take it anyway. Looking up again he offered Victor a timid smile._

_“I… I’d like to try…”_

_Victor grinned wide._

_“Great!”_

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Victor!”

The wind howled in his ears and the snowflakes bit at his skin as he ran through the deserted streets, although waded would almost be a better term. The snow on the ground was deep enough that it spilled over the top of and into his boots, his feet quickly working their way to becoming numb. Yuuri hardly noticed however, his attention was focused on the form he could barely see several feet in front of him that he couldn’t seem to catch up to.

“Victor wait!”

The wind swallowed his voice, if it wasn’t for the ache in his throat from straining to make himself heard he would have thought he wasn’t making any sound at all. The storm was _fierce,_ much worse than it had seemed while tucked into Phichit’s cozy flat, and there it had seemed pretty bad. But the moment he had seen Victor all concerns for the storm had vanished and he had dashed out, barely taking the time to yank on his boots before hurtling down the stairs and out the shop door. He was quickly regretting that decision as the cold settled into his bones, his flannels and the thin fabric of his shirt doing little to fend of the freezing temperature despite the energy he was using to run.

At some point he had left the village behind, though he was only marginally aware of it as he kept his focus on Victor’s continuously retreating form. Why was Victor here? Had the Lord of Winter let him go? Did he escape? Why wasn’t he stopping? Yuuri was sure his friend had seen him through Phichit’s window, and he had to know Yuuri was behind him, so why wasn’t he waiting? Something wasn’t right, but for now Yuuri ignored it, all he cared about was catching up to Victor.

“Victor! Victor it’s me! Victor stop!”

Once again the wind smothered his voice. Yuuri had no idea how long he had been running, but he was starting to feel it. His entire body was numb, his lungs were burning, and his legs were threatening to give out on him but still he pushed on. He had to reach Victor, then they could go home and hopefully put this whole mess behind them. Hopefully.

Ahead of him Victor finally seemed to stop, hope rising Yuuri put on a burst of speed, was he finally going to let Yuuri catch up to him?

“Vic-!”

The ground under his feet suddenly vanished, pitching him forward to tumble down a small slope before coming to a hard landing. The wind was knocked out of him and he lay there in a daze for a moment before slowly pushing himself up. His body protested the movement but he ignored it. Once on his feet he brushed himself off and looked around for Victor, spotting him a good thirty or so feet straight ahead of him, at least he had finally stopped.

Yuuri took a step forward and opened his mouth to call out to him, but stopped and threw his arms out for balance when his foot slipped under him. Looking down, he could see the exposed ice in the groove his foot had cut through the snow. Of course he would land on ice. He looked up again, Victor was standing in the same spot he had been. Yuuri took a much more careful step towards him.

“Victor what are you doing out here?” he called, Victor didn’t move. “If you got away from the Lord of Winter why didn’t you come home?”

Still Victor remained motionless. Though they were closer now the wind was still blowing full force, so Yuuri had no idea if Victor could hear him. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try.

“Victor please, if you can hear me answer me.” He continued his cautious trek forward, fortunately Victor remained where he was. “I know you’re upset with me and… And I don’t blame you, but we need to talk about it. You have to let me explain.” He was about half-way to Victor now. “Victor-”

A loud crack rang out above the howling wind, Yuuri froze. Tearing his gaze away from Victor he slowly looked down. Though he couldn’t see it there was no mistaking the sound, he had heard it once before when an early thaw had nearly sent him, Victor, and their friends into the small pond near their village. They had all been forbidden from stepping foot on the pond the rest of the winter, Victor hadn’t been too happy about that.

Yuuri took a careful step back, praying the ice hadn’t cracked behind him, then another. He lifted his gaze back to Victor who continued to stand motionless, how had he made it across the ice without incident? If Yuuri’s weight was enough to crack the ice then Victor’s should have done it first, maybe he had weakened it? Either way they needed to get off before it was too late, but he had no idea if Victor was even aware or the danger.

“Victor we have to go!” he called as he took another step back. The ice groaned under him causing his heart to leap into his throat. “The ice is breaking! We need to get out of here before-!”

As he took another step back the ice suddenly gave out and he plunged into the frigid water below with a yelp of alarm. Yuuri forced his eyes open, but there was nothing to see in the inky darkness that surrounded him. Kicking hard he made for the surface only to collide with the underside of the ice. Panic rising, he scrambled to find the hole he had fallen through, his search becoming more and more frantic as his lungs screamed for air. Finally, as he felt the weight of unconsciousness pulling at the corners of his mind his hand passed through the ice into open air. Yuuri kicked furiously towards it, his head breaking through the surface of the water with a gasp. Coughing and sputtering he grabbed for the edge of the hole, intending to pull himself out of the freezing water, but the ice gave way the moment he put any weight on it and nearly sent him back under the water. He tried again with the same result and had to settle for simply holding on to the edge of the ice to keep himself afloat.

As numb as he had been before he could still feel the cold air biting at his skin, feeling like thousands of little needles were pricking all over his body. His limbs felt heavy and it was getting harder to breath as the cold settled deeper and deeper into his very core. He looked around, his eyes quickly settling on Victor who stood exactly where he had been before Yuuri fell through the ice.

“V-V-Victor…” he stuttered as he stretched a hand in the direction of his friend.

Why was Victor still standing there? Why hadn’t he come over when Yuuri had gone through the ice? Was he really so upset that he would ignore Yuuri’s plight? Yuuri refused to believe that. They had had their quarrels before—what friends didn’t?—but no matter how upset Victor was he would never leave Yuuri in danger like this. So then why wasn’t he coming over?

“V-Victor… Pl-please…”

His vision began to swim before him, he was tired, so very tired. The icy water had sapped what little energy he had left and now all he wanted was to close his eyes and sleep. Sleep and maybe when he woke up this would all have been a dream. Not just Victor and the storm, but all of it. Maybe he would wake up in his room back in Trevin with Victor in the tree outside his window tapping at the glass so they could talk. Victor always came tapping at his window when they had a disagreement, surely he would do so now?

Yuuri’s hand was still outstretched, he let it fall to the ice. He knew none of this was a dream, that everything until this moment had happened, but in his tired and freezing state it was easier to hold on to desperate hope rather than listen to reason. Even so he fought against the darkness threatening to overtake him, a small voice in his head telling him he needed to get out of the water as he eyes slipped shut.

_”Yuuri!”_

Muffled, and sounding far away a voice called out. Yuuri jerked slightly and his eyes fluttered open to look towards Victor once more, but that wasn’t Victor’s voice he had heard. Had he actually heard a voice? There was no one else out there so he didn’t see how he could have. Still he kept his gazed fixed on Victor, waiting to see if he would do anything. But all too quickly the fatigue pulled at him and his eyes slipped shut once again. As unconsciousness finally claimed him he was unaware of the pair of arms that grabbed and hoisted him out of the water just as his head sunk below its surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! Did the chapter make up for my lack of updates at least a little bit?
> 
> I want to give a huge shout out thank you to [ Atelerix](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Atelerix/pseuds/Atelerix) for pointing out a bunch of silly typos I made in previous chapters, they have all been fixed.
> 
> As usual comments, kudos, and feedback are always appreciated! ^.^


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yuuri have been friends since they were kids. They do everything together, one rarely seen without the other. Now adults, a misunderstanding puts their friendship to the test and causes Victor to disappear with the Lord of Winter, a being that was only supposed to exist in stories. Yuuri embarks on a journey to find his friend, but between winter refusing to bow out to spring and the Lord of Winter pushing back at every turn it's not going to be easy. But what really has Yuuri worried is whether or not Victor will even listen to him once he finds him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo..... yeah... I really have no words other than once again I'm sorry for taking so long to update. As I mentioned before I joined another bang and that's been pretty much eating up all my writing time. The bang ends at the end of this month so fingers crossed that will free up some time. Someday I'll learn to better manage my time. >.<
> 
> In the meantime, have a longer chapter to make up for it taking to long and to hopefully tide you all over until the next one.

_Victor had heard of people claiming that their life flashed before their eyes in a dangerous situation, though in his twelve years of life he never expected to experience such a thing. But as Yuuri’s sister glared daggers at him and his friends he was pretty sure that’s exactly what was happening. Wanting to avoid the crowd from the previous day Victor had dragged his friends to the inn early that morning, they hadn’t been too sure about going since Yuuri had run off on them but Victor had assured them it would be fine. When they arrived the tavern was mostly empty—only a few people scattered about—and Yuuri was nowhere to be seen. Mari on the other hand was. She had looked up at the sound of the door opening, her greeting dying on her lips when she saw them. Eyes narrowed she had stalked over to them and demanded to know what they were doing there, the other three had hidden behind Victor._

_“You four have a lot of nerve showing up here after what you did to Yuuri,”_

_“We didn’t do anything to him!” Johna cried indignantly, though he cowered further behind Victor when Mari turned her gaze on him,_

_“Oh really? Then why did he come running back here crying?”_

_“That’s what we want to know,” Eren pipped up, Mari seemed to ignore him in favor of Victor._

_“I warned you what would happen if you hurt him, unfortunately mom wouldn’t like it very much if I beat up a bunch of runts in our dining room so why don’t you just get out of here and leave Yuuri alone?”_

_“Victor I thought you said Yuuri wanted to see us?” Gregory muttered. Victor glanced at him before looking at Mari._

_“Look I don’t blame you for not believing us, but I swear we didn’t do anything mean to Yuuri. I think we might have been… too much for him?”_

_He had to be careful of what he said, the last thing he wanted to do was get Yuuri in trouble because he had snuck into his room last night. Mari raised an eyebrow as she seemed to consider him carefully, Victor took the chance to continue._

_“If you just go and get Yuuri and ask him I’m sure he’ll tell you. We like Yuuri, we want to be friends with him. That’s why we came here even though we knew we might be turned away. If Yuuri tells you he doesn’t want to see us then we’ll leave and never bother him again.”_

_Mari crossed her arms and continued to eye him, Victor got the impression she was trying to detect any signs of deceit. He didn’t know how long they stood there like that but he refused to back down. If getting to know Yuuri meant getting through his older sister then that was exactly what he was going to do._

_“Mari!”_

_The four of them jumped while Mari simply turned. Yuuri had appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen looking horrified, he hurried over to them his eyes focused on his sister._

_“Mari what are you doing?”_

_“Yuuri… Why did you come home crying yesterday?”_

_Yuuri tensed. He glanced at Victor and his friends then looked back at his sister, his face went bright red and he looked down. Mari sighed, her hard and tough stance fading instantly._

_“Oh Yuuri…” She smiled fondly down at him. “You really need to learn to stop being so timid little brother.”_

_She reached out a hand and ruffled his hair affectionately, Yuuri made an affronted noise and swatted her hand away. Satisfied that he was properly embarrassed she turned back to the four of them._

_“No hard feelings yeah?”_

_Victor smiled and shook his head. “None at all.”_

_Mari nodded, gave them a wave, and then was gone. It wasn’t until she had disappeared into the kitchen that Victor’s friends all let out loud sighs._

_“Wow is she scary…” Eren said._

_“You can say that again…” Gregory agreed._

_“I’m really, really sorry about her,” Yuuri said with a deep bow. “She’s really not… Um…”_

_“She’s a big sister looking out for the happiness of her little brother,” Victor said, Yuuri looked at him. “It’s fine Yuuri, really. Although I had thought you would have talked to her before we got here.”_

_At that Yuuri flushed and looked away. “I… I over-slept… And I didn’t expect you here so early.”_

_“What can I say? I was excited.”_

_Yuuri’s head snapped back to look at him with wide eyes, Victor grinned and after a moment Yuuri returned a small smile._

_“So, what should we do today?” Johna asked. “Ice skating again?”_

_“Actually,” Victor said slowly. “If Yuuri is up for it I was thinking we could introduce him around town. A lot of people are curious about him and I just know they’ll love him.”_

_Yuuri’s smile faded, he looked town and twisted the hem of his shirt in his hands. “I… I don’t know…”_

_“I promise everyone is town is really nice, but if you’re not comfortable with it we can do something else.”_

_Yuuri glanced up at him for a moment then looked back down, continuing to play with the bottom of his shirt. Victor waited patiently. After what Yuuri had told him last night he wanted more than anything to show Yuuri that their town wasn’t as big and scary as it seemed, that if he gave it a chance he could come to love it, but only if Yuuri wanted that. He had no intention of forcing him. They all stood in silence for several long seconds, none of them wanted to disturb Yuuri while he worked through his thoughts. Finally, he took a deep breath and let it out, and when he looked up there was the same determination Victor had seen that first day he had invited Yuuri to skate with them._

_“O-Okay.”_

_Victor beamed._

* * *

Nothingness. No matter which way he turned there was nothing, where was he? How did he get here? What had he been doing? He remembered snow, and running, why had he been running? And he had been cold, so very, very cold. He had been looking for something. No. Chasing something. But what? What had he been-

“Victor...” he breathed.

Feeling eyes on him suddenly he whirled around and felt his breath catch in his throat. There was Victor, standing as far away from him as he had been out on the ice. But it wasn’t his friend’s presence that had Yuuri’s throat clenching up, it was the hard stare that was fixed upon him. Never in all their years of knowing each other had Yuuri ever seen Victor’s eyes look so fierce and for a moment Yuuri was left speechless. He knew Victor was upset with him but for his friend to be looking at him in such a way, with his eyes so full of… contempt, it just didn’t seem right. Victor was the life of their group, with a smile that could light up the darkest room. Yuuri very much wanted to see that smile again.

“Victor… Please I… Please talk to me. We can work things out, we can fix this. Just… Please… Come home.”

Victor didn’t respond—not that Yuuri really expected him to—and after a moment he started to fade, Yuuri’s panic spiked. He ran for his friend, desperate to reach him, to grab hold of him before he was gone. But no matter how fast he ran he couldn’t get any closer. Tears began to blur his vision, Victor was going to leave, Yuuri was going to lose him again.

“Victor!” he cried desperately. “Victor don’t go!”

And then Victor was gone, Yuuri’s pace slowed until he came to a stop, his eyes fixed on the spot where Victor had just been. He couldn’t believe it, Victor was gone again and there was nothing he could do about it. Why was he so useless? Why couldn’t he do anything? Why couldn’t he stop Victor from leaving? These any many other questions ran through his mind as he collapsed to his knees. He closed his eyes tightly, but it was too late to stop the tears already running down his cheeks.

“Victor…”

* * *

Yuuri slowly opened his eyes to stare up at a blurry ceiling, hadn’t he just been outside? No, he had been… in nothingness? That made even less sense. He closed his eyes to try and gather his thoughts, ignoring the tug of sleep that was trying to overtake him. There was a storm. It had kept him from leaving town so Phichit had insisted he stay the night. Late in the night he had woken up to see Victor standing out in the street and had gone after him. He had followed Victor through the storm to a frozen river, the ice had started to crack and then…

With a small gasp his eyes shot open, he had fallen into the river! Was he dead? He certainly didn’t _feel_ dead. His body was heavy and warm thanks to the number of thick blankets he was currently bundled up in, if he could feel that to he couldn’t be dead, right? The ceiling above him was still blurry, and it took him a second to realize he wasn’t wearing his glasses. Someone must have removed them, but who? Probably whoever had pulled him out of the river. He was sure he had heard someone calling out to him right before he blacked out, who had that been? As his head slowly began to clear he became aware of sounds around him, a light clattering of utensils, faint humming, and what sounded like a kettle starting to whistle. He shifted, wanting to sit up and figure out where he was, but his body refused to obey and he eventually had to just let his head fall back.

“You’re awake.”

Yuuri blinked and looked over as a blurry figure moved away from what he assumed was a stove and came towards him. As the figure drew closer Yuuri realized he recognized them.

“Phichit?”

Phichit smiled and sat in a chair beside him.

“Hi. How are you feeling?”

“Um… Okay I guess. Tired.”

“I’m not surprised, you’ve been out for two days.”

“Two days?”

Yuuri let out a soft groan, that was two more days wasted. Phichit watched him silently a moment before speaking.

“Are you hungry? I just finished making some stew.”

Yuuri’s stomach answered for him by letting out a particularly loud growl. Phichit blinked and stared at him a moment then burst out laughing as Yuuri’s face went bright red. Still chuckling he stood and went back over to the stove, returning shortly after with two bowls of steaming stew that smelled absolutely divine. He set them aside so he could help Yuuri to sit up then handed one of the bowls to him before reclaiming his seat beside the bed with his own bowl. Yuuri muttered a thanks as he took the bowl, he gave the stew a small stir then lifted the spoon to his mouth, blowing on it a couple times before taking a bite. He closed his eyes as the warmth from the stew immediately began to spread through his body and let out a small, pleased moan. It tasted even better than it smelled.

“Phichit this is amazing!

Phichit smiled. “Glad you like it.”

Yuuri continued to eat and after a moment Phichit started in on his own bowl. They ate in silence, though every few bites Yuuri became aware of Phichit glancing his way. He was sure the younger man had a dozen or so questions he was dying to ask, questions he knew he would have to answer but had no idea what he would say. When their bowls were a little over under half full Phichit finally broke.

“What in the world were you doing out in that storm?”

Yuuri took another bite of stew as he tried to think of what to say, but Phichit didn’t seem to want to wait.

“I mean being out in the storm was bad enough, but then to end up in the river…”

“In my defense, I didn’t know the river was there.”

Phichit gave him a flat look and he returned his attention to his stew.

“The doctor said you were really lucky, if you had been out there much longer… What were you _thinking?”_

“I… I was… Sleepwalking?”

Yuuri had never been good at lying, especially on the spot like he was now, but that was pathetic even for him. And if the look Phichit was giving him was anything to go by he thought the same thing.

“Really?” Phichit deadpanned. “That’s the best you can do? I think you owe me more than that after chasing you through that storm.”

Yuuri shrank into his shoulders, he knew Phichit was right. The younger man had done so much for him since they had met, far more than he needed to, he deserved an explanation. Even if said explanation was going to make him sound like a complete nutcase.

“I… I was…” He hesitated a moment longer then sighed. “I was running after someone.”

Phichit frowned at him. “Running after… Yuuri come on.”

“Look I don’t expect you to understand or even believe me, but that’s why I was out in the storm.”

Phichit considered him a moment before speaking. “Okay fine, then who were you chasing?”

Yuuri looked away, he really didn’t want to be having this conversation. He heard Phichit tsk beside him.

“Really? You can’t even tell me that?”

Yuuri didn’t respond, he didn’t know what to say. There was no way Phichit would ever believe him if he told him the truth, but he didn’t want to lie to him either, not after everything Phichit had done for him. Phichit sighed and shifted in his chair, when Yuuri snuck a glance at him his arms were crossed over his chest and he was staring off as if in thought. Yuuri looked down at the half-eaten bowl of stew in his lap, he considered taking a bite just to have something to do but it was probably cold, and he didn’t feel very hungry now.

“Who’s Victor?”

Yuuri’s head snapped up and he looked at Phichit with wide eyes. Phichit was looking at him again and seemed unfazed by Yuuri’s reaction.

“How… How do you know that name…?”

“You kept mumbling it in your sleep, you sounded pretty distressed. Who is he?”

Yuuri stared at him a moment longer before lowering his gaze back to his lap, he closed his eyes and forced back the emotions threatening to overwhelm him, distressed didn’t even begin to cover it. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, there was no avoiding talking about it now.

“Yuuri?”

Yuuri opened his eyes but kept his gaze lowered, he was silent a moment longer before speaking.

“Victor… Is my friend, my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids. We did everything together, it was rare to see us apart.”

“What happened to him?” Phichit asked after a pause.

“He…” Yuuri gripped at the blanket. “He was taken…”

“Taken? You mean kidnapped?”

Yuuri thought back to that day, Victor had taken the Lord of Winter’s hand, hadn’t put up any sort of fight, could he really say his friend had been kidnapped? It was a thought Yuuri had had before but had tried not to dwell on, he didn’t want to consider the possibility that Victor would be unwilling to return home with him. But after what had happened out in the storm the thought was there again. He was sure Victor had been there, that Victor had seen him, and yet his friend had turned away and refused to speak to him, something Victor had never done in all their years together. Had he really hurt him that badly?

“Yuuri?”

Yuuri jumped and looked up, Phichit was looking at him in concern, Yuuri flushed slightly.

“Sorry… Got lost in my thoughts.”

Phichit shook his head. “It’s fine, but Yuuri, if your friend was kidnapped then you need to report it.”

It was Yuuri’s turn to shake his head as he looked away again. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

This was it, the part of the conversation he had been dreading, but there was no turning back now.

“Because… Because he was taken by…” He hesitated for just a moment before letting out a sigh and pushing forward. “He was taken by the Lord of Winter.”

The silence that followed his declaration was almost deafening, the only sound being that of the wood crackling away in the stove. Yuuri didn’t dare look over at Phichit, but he could see the look of skepticism that he must be wearing clear as day in his mind. He had seen it countless times before, every time he had taken the chance and told the real reason he was so far from home, that he was practically chasing a fairy tale he got the same look. Sure enough when Phichit next spoke there was obvious hesitance in his voice.

“Yuuri… There’s no such thing as the Lord of Winter, he’s just a story.”

Even though he had been expecting this reaction it still stung a little, he let out a tired sigh. No one ever believed him, not even his friends and family back home. They said Yuuri was just confused from having been out in the cold for so long and that Victor was probably just playing a prank, that he would be back before they knew it and everyone would have a good laugh. But even when it became apparent that Victor was indeed missing they still wouldn’t listen to him, believing Victor had finally run off to see the world like he so wanted to. Which to Yuuri was even more ridiculous than Victor being whisked away by the Lord of Winter, Victor wasn’t the type to just run off without telling anyone and risk worrying those that cared about him.

Although… wasn’t that exactly what he had done? Yuuri was the only one who knew what had happened, and as far as everyone else was concerned Victor had simply run away. When a week had gone by with no word from him Victor’s parents had come to Yuuri seeking any information, but by that point Yuuri hadn’t known that to say. They refused to believe the truth, and he was far too embarrassed and ashamed to mention what had happened between him and Victor before Victor had disappeared, never mind that it would only enforce the idea that Victor had run away, so all he could do was apologize and watch with a heavy heart as they left with their heads lowered.

And then as the weeks turned to months things only became worse. People in town began to turn on Victor, branding him as thoughtless and selfish for running off without a word and not bothering to send even a simple letter back to let them at least know that he was okay. There was no shortage of sympathy for Victor’s parents who were too distraught to try and stop the horrid things people were saying about their son. Yuuri tried to stand up for his friend, but that only made people either turn on him, believing he knew where Victor was and wasn’t saying at Victor’s request, or look on him with pity because they thought he was in denial of Victor’s disappearance. It was not a good time, but it wasn’t until a rumor started going around that when Yuuri had been found unconscious in the snow it was because Victor had left him there that Yuuri had had enough. Yuuri immediately packed his bag, said he was going to find Victor and bring him home, and left. Though not before chastising anyone who believed that ridiculous rumor. Victor was forgetful, and often acted without thinking, but he was not that heartless.

“Look it doesn’t matter if you believe me, I gave up hoping anyone would a while ago. But he _did_ take my friend, and it’s because of him we’re still stuck in winter. I don’t care how many people think I’m crazy, I’m going to find his castle, I’m going to get Victor back, and hopefully I’ll be able to stop this eternal winter.”

He finally chanced a look at Phichit, and sure enough he was looking at Yuuri like everyone else did, like he was questioning his mental stability and debating whether or not to remain in the room with him. It was always the same, but still deep down there was always the hope that it would be different. Trying not to feel too upset about it he pushed the blankets aside.

“Forget it… Thank you for everything you’ve done, I’ll just-“

He started to get up but was stopped by Phichit’s firm grip on his shoulders. Yuuri looked at him in confusion.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Phichit asked.

“Uh… Getting up to get my stuff so I can leave?”

“I don’t think so, the doctor said you needed to rest and stay in bed for another day or so, so I’m afraid you’re stuck here.”

Yuuri stared at him completely dumbfounded, he was willing to let him stay there even though he clearly thought he was crazy? That was certainly a first.

“Phichit…” he said after a long pause. “I appreciate your concern, but I’ve burdened you enough. I’ll be fine, really.”

Phichit shook his head. “Not going to happen, you realize you could have _died_ out there right? Whatever sort of mission you’re on can’t possibly be more important than your own life.”

Yuuri opened his mouth to say something, but Phichit shook his head again and continued.

“Look, winter isn’t going anywhere. You can spare a couple more days to make sure you’re fit enough to travel. After that I won’t try and stop you, even if I think what you’re doing sounds insane. Deal?”

Yuuri stared at him, he didn’t know what to say. Phichit didn’t believe him, but he wasn’t trying to throw him out either. He was legitimately worried for Yuuri’s well-being and wanted to be sure he was well enough before letting him be on his way. It was treatment he wasn’t used to and wasn’t sure how to handle. Though if he was being honest with himself he really wasn’t feeling one-hundred percent and could use the extra rest. And since it was clear the younger man wasn’t going to let him leave without a fight—something else Yuuri really wasn’t up for—he didn’t see what other choice he had. So with a small sigh he nodded.

“Okay, you win.”

Phichit grinned and stood up, scooping their bowls into his hands.

“Never had any doubt that I would,” he said with a wink. “Now you sit tight, I’ll get us some more stew.”

Yuuri nodded, offering a small smile in return. He watched as Phichit sauntered back over to his stove, the younger man was head-strong and stubborn just like Victor, the two would definitely get along well. When this was all over and he and Victor were on their way home they would have to stop here so Yuuri could introduce them. It was something to look forward to.

* * *

Victor felt like he couldn’t breathe, his grip on the window ledge so hard his knuckles were white. His chest was unbearably tight and his vision swam in and out of focus, he felt on the verge of passing out but refused to let unconsciousness take him. He needed to calm down, to get his wits about him and his head back in order. Was this how Yuuri felt when he had his attacks?

Yuuri… How long had it been since he had last seen his friend? He hadn’t thought he would ever see him again so he hadn’t bothered to keep track. Why wasn’t he back in Trevin? What could he possibly be doing so far from home? Victor had wanted to ask, had intended to ask, but then he had seen his childhood friend through that window, and had remembered what happened between them the last time they had been together. So he had turned away. But then Yuuri had followed him, had called out to him, practically begged him to stop, but Victor had kept going. He had led Yuuri further into the storm and out on to that frozen river where again he could have asked Yuuri what he was doing there, but the hurt from their last encounter had been too strong, so once again he hadn’t done anything, even when Yuuri fell through the ice.

Victor wrapped his arms around himself and collapsed to his knees as the scene of Yuuri struggling amongst the chunks of ice floating around him, he hadn’t done anything. His best friend’s life had been in danger and he hadn’t done anything, he hadn’t even felt _inclined_ to do anything. There had been no panic or sense of urgency to get to Yuuri, he had simply stood there and felt… nothing. He hadn’t felt anything, how could he not have felt anything? Even when the younger man the Lord of Winter had shown him showed up and pulled Yuuri out of the water, he hadn’t felt relieved like he should have. Had he really been so hurt that he would ignore when his friend was in danger? He didn’t want to believe that, and yet-

“Victor?”

The Lord of Winter’s voice called out from behind him, Victor remained as he was.

“Go away.”

There was silence for a moment, then he heard footsteps as the Lord of Winter approached him.

“What is troubling you?” A pause, when Victor didn’t respond he spoke again. “Did your meeting with Yuuri not go well?”

Victor hugged his arms tighter around himself and closed his eyes as the image of Yuuri flailing around in the river again played in his mind. He felt tears pricking at his eyes as he tried to push the image away. A gentle hand on his cheek caused him to open his eyes and look up. The Lord of Winter was kneeling before him, a look of concern on his face.

“I wish to help you, but I cannot do that if you don’t tell me what is wrong.”

Victor stared at him for several moments before looking away.

“I… I tried to hurt Yuuri…” he said quietly.

The Lord of Winter didn’t respond right away, but when he did his voice was gentle.

“How so?”

Victor flinched slightly. “I… He followed me out into a snowstorm… And on to a frozen river. The… The ice was weak and… and he… He fell through…”

Again the Lord of Winter didn’t respond immediately and Victor couldn’t bring himself to look at him. If he had he would have seen the pleased smirk playing at the man’s lips before reverting back to concern.

“Oh dear. That’s certainly terrible, but I don’t see how that is your fault. If he followed you out there-“

“I didn’t try to help him! He… He fell through the ice and I just… stood there. I didn’t do anything, I didn’t even _think_ of doing anything. Why… Why didn’t I help him…?”

The Lord of Winter hummed in thought before speaking.

“Perhaps it was your way of getting back at him for hurting you, seems only fair.”

“No!” He finally looked at the Lord of winter, both angered and horrified that he would suggest such a thing. “Yuuri is my friend! I would never hurt him like that!”

The Lord of Winter held up his hands in defense.

“I was merely making a suggestion. People often do things they ordinarily wouldn’t when they’re upset.”

“That… That doesn’t matter. I would never hurt Yuuri, I…”

He trailed off, unable to finish. The Lord of Winter watched him a moment before speaking.

“You don’t sound so sure about that.”

Victor felt his stomach tighten, he didn’t want to consider that the other man might be right. That he had allowed his emotions to cloud his judgment and make him act in a different manor from how he usually would. Victor knew Yuuri meant everything to him, that he would never want to see harm come to him, but the fact of the matter was that when Yuuri had been in danger he hadn’t done anything. The very thought made him sick.

“I…” He tried to think of something to say, but when nothing came to him he looked away. “Just… Just leave me alone…”

The Lord of Winter was silent for several moments before letting out a quiet sigh and getting to his feet.

“Very well.”

Without another word he turned and strode out of the room, Victor listened until he could no longer hear his footsteps before finally letting the tears he had been fighting flow free as a small sob escaped his throat. Why did all of this have to happen? Why couldn’t things have just stayed the way they were? Because Victor was a selfish man that’s why. He had wanted more and now he was paying for it. Even worse, Yuuri was paying for it. The younger man must surely hate him now, and as much as that thought hurt he knew he deserved it. Yuuri would be better off if he just forgot about him and moved on with his life. But Victor was still selfish, he didn’t want Yuuri to forget about him. He wanted things to go back to how they were, to take back what he had said and pretend like it had never happened. But how could he possibly ever face him again after what he had done?

* * *

Yuuri drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, the slight sting of the cold morning air working to help wake him up a bit. The sun was just starting to rise above the trees but he had already left the small town behind him. He felt bad for leaving the way he did—sneaking out while Phichit was asleep—but even after staying in bed for two days Phichit had still insisted that he needed more time to recover. But Yuuri felt he had wasted enough time and was anxious to get back on the road, so he had slipped out of bed, gathered his things, and left the shop just as the sun was starting to peek over the horizon. He had scribbled a quick note of apology, as well as thanking him for everything he had done, but he doubted it would stop the younger man from being angry at him. It was for the best though, the last thing he wanted to do was burden others with his problems, even if it had been nice to have someone to talk to for a change. Although stopping through to say hi on the way back to Trevin didn’t really seem like an option now. Yuuri let out a heavy sigh.

“Yuuri! Hey Yuuri! Wait up!”

Yuuri stopped dead in his tracks, he stood still for several seconds that felt much longer before slowly turning around, his eyes widened in surprise. Phichit was hurrying towards him, a thick pack on his back and what looked like a piece of paper gripped in his hand. Yuuri could only stare bewildered as Phichit drew nearer, what in the world was he doing here? When Phichit reached him the younger man bent forward, resting his hands on his knees for a minute to catch his breath before straightening and fixing Yuuri with the most petulant look he had ever seen.

“What the heck?” he demanded.

Yuuri blinked. “Uh…”

He watched as Phichit brought the piece of paper he was holding up, and started to uncrumple it. Yuuri realized what it was right before he started to read its contents aloud.

“Phichit, I’m really sorry but I can’t wait any longer. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

Yuuri cringed internally as Phichit lowered the note and fixed him with a hard stare again, it really hadn’t sounded so bad when he was writing it.

“Phichit… I…”

“You couldn’t have at least waited until I woke up? Said goodbye properly?”

Yuuri sighed. “You kept making up excuses for why I should wait, I didn’t want to wait anymore. I’ve still got a distance to go and have wasted enough time already.”

“Excuses? Yuuri you _fell into an icy river._ You were unconscious for _two days,_ that’s not something to take lightly.”

“I already told you, I’m _fine._ But… you’re right. I could have handled leaving better, I’m sorry.”

Phichit put his hands on his hips and continued to stare at him. Yuuri thought he was going to argue further, but then his shoulder slumped and he let out a sigh.

“It’s fine, honestly I think a part of me expected it. This is really that important to you huh?”

Yuuri nodded. “I know you can’t understand it, but it is. I don’t care what it takes, but I’m going to get to the Kreska Mountains. I’m going to find the Lord of Winter, rescue Victor, and make things right.”

Phichit tilted his head to the side as he eyed Yuuri carefully, seeming to consider him. The two of them stood like that for a good while before Phichit gave a firm nod as if deciding something.

“Well then, I guess we better get going,” he said before moving past Yuuri and heading down the road. Yuuri turned after him but remained where he was.

“We?”

Phichit paused and looked over his shoulder with a grin.

“Of course. Who knows what sort of trouble you’ll get into if left on your own.”

Yuuri stared at him, his mouth hanging open slightly. He was silent for several moments before speaking.

“So… You believe me?”

Phichit turned to fully face him, his smile fading into a look of uncertainty.

“Well… I don’t know if I believe the whole Lord of Winter thing, but I can’t deny that something strange is going on, and if this journey of yours could possibly have some answers then count me in.”

“What about your shop?”

Phichit waved a dismissive hand. “It can survive a little while without me. Besides, if winter doesn’t end soon I won’t have the means to keep it open.”

Yuuri was in slight awe of him, how could he be so easy going about everything? 

“I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this am I?”

Phichit smiled brightly. “Nope!”

Yuuri was at a loss. Phichit didn’t believe him—not that he blamed him—but he was still willing to join him on his crazy journey. After leaving Trevin Yuuri had kept others at arm’s length, afraid to let them get to close and risk having them turn on him when they learned what he was doing. It made for a very lonely time. Yuuri had never been particularly social—Victor had been plenty social for the both of them—but that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy talking to people. He didn’t know how it was going to work out having Phichit with him when the younger man didn’t believe him, but for now he decided to not worry about it. Making up his mind, he looked at Phichit and offered him a smile of his own.

“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Victor, you poor, poor dear. I'm sorry to say things aren't going to get any easier for you.
> 
> So how was that? Am I forgiven for my lack of update for so long? As I mentioned above, the bang I'm in ends this month, so I'm going to be focusing all my attention on that. Which of course means there will again be a delay before the next chapter. Sorry! >.<


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yuuri have been friends since they were kids. They do everything together, one rarely seen without the other. Now adults, a misunderstanding puts their friendship to the test and causes Victor to disappear with the Lord of Winter, a being that was only supposed to exist in stories. Yuuri embarks on a journey to find his friend, but between winter refusing to bow out to spring and the Lord of Winter pushing back at every turn it's not going to be easy. But what really has Yuuri worried is whether or not Victor will even listen to him once he finds him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp, here it is. FINALLY the next chapter. I wish I had a good excuse for why this took so long, but it's the same as every other time. Started with the holidays, then left in general got nuts, then there was the usual lack of motivation and being unable to get myself to write sometimes. That's something I need to work on.
> 
> Anyway, I apologize to anyone who had been waiting for this, and I thank you for being so patient with me. This chapter is a bit longer than the others so hopefully that makes up for the delay at least a little bit.

“So… let me get this straight. You’ve trekked half way across the continent in search of your friend and you don’t even know if you’re going the right way?”

“Um… yes?”

Phichit covered his face with his hand and let out an exasperated sigh.

“That’s… wow.”

They purchased a room at the inn and had no sooner set their things down when Phichit grabbed Yuuri’s wrist and literally dragged him back outside so they could explore. Not that where was much to see. The town of Langlim was larger than the one they had just left, but like every other town Yuuri had been to many of the shops were closed up and the residents stuck to their homes. Very few people were out and those that were regarded the travelers curiously. Yuuri was used to this so he didn’t even notice until Phichit leaned over and asked any everyone was staring at them, pointing out that these weren’t exactly the best conditions to be traveling in, so they probably looked a little odd.

Now they were back at the inn, seated at a table off to the side and out of the way. As Yuuri looked over his map Phichit had asked how he knew where the Lord of Winter supposedly was. Yuuri had flushed and after some coaxing had reluctantly admitted that he didn’t actually know if the Lord of Winter was in the northern mountains, which led to the discussion of how Yuuri decided to head there.

Apart from the stories told to naughty children there wasn’t much known about the Lord of Winter, certainly not enough to determine where he might be hiding so Yuuri hadn’t had much to go on when he decided to set out in search of the mythical menace. The Kreska Mountains were located at the northernmost part of the continent, their frozen peaks and vast size seemed the perfect sort of place for a being of ice and snow to be found so that was where Yuuri had set his sights. It wasn’t a foolproof plan, it wasn’t much of a plan at all if he was being honest, but it was the best he could come up with. He just had to hope and pray that he wasn’t completely wrong.

“Look I know it’s crazy, but-”

“Crazy doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Phichit cut in. “The Kreska Mountains are huge, how do you plan on searching them for something that may or may not even be there before freezing to death?”

Yuuri sighed, this was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to say anything.

“It’s not a great plan, I know that. But it’s not like there’s a book or a convenient map with detailed instructions on how to find the Lord of Winter so it’s the only plan I’ve got.”

“The Lord of Winder huh?” a new voice spoke. “You’ll want to be careful talking about him around here.”

Phichit eyed the plates excitedly, their conversation seemingly forgotten in favor of the hot meal that was set before him. Yuuri on the other hand didn’t even look at his, instead keeping his gaze on the man standing above them. 

“Why should we be careful?”

“Let’s just say the Lord of Winter isn’t exactly a welcome topic of conversation.”

That piqued Yuuri’s interest. During his travels he had encountered several people unwilling to talk about the Lord of Winter for one reason or another—mostly superstition—but an entire town not wanting to talk about him? This could be the break he needed.

“Why’s that?”

Christophe shrugged. “Wish I could tell you, but I’ve only been living here for about five years and the most I’ve been able to learn is it has to do with something that happened a long time ago. Folks around here aren’t too forthcoming when asked about it, and some can get pretty snippy, so I learned pretty quick not to ask.”

Yuuri slumped into his chair, his hope instantly deflating. He had finally found a place where he might be able get some information but asking about it could get him run out of town, fate really seemed to be working against him. Phichit gave him a sympathetic look while Christophe eyed him curiously.

“Why are you so interested in some legend?” he asked, Yuuri sat up straighter.

“O-Oh I… Well… Um…”

“He’s writing a book,” Phichit piped up. Both men looked at him.

“What?” they said in unison, Phichit kicked Yuuri under the table.

“Yuuri’s always been fascinated with old legends so he decided to write a book about them. The origin, how they differ from place to place, beliefs and practices, all that stuff. But we’ve hit a bit of a roadblock on the legend of the Lord of Winter, there just isn’t that much information about him.”

Yuuri stared at Phichit completely dumbfounded for a moment before quickly shifting to a look that he hoped was neutral and not like he was hearing this for the first time as Christophe’s gaze shifted back to him.

“A book huh? That’s some endeavor, so I guess you’re going to ask around anyway huh?”

“Er… Well I mean, I don’t want to cause any problems… Is there really no one who would be willing to talk to us?”

“Hm…” Christophe hummed as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Well… I guess you could try old man Plisetsky, he knows all the old stories and legends, particularly ones involving the Lord of Winter. And he’s not _entirely_ adverse to talking about it, but he’s not always willing either.”

Yuuri nodded. “That’s better than nothing, where does he live?”

“Not close I’m afraid. He lives in a cabin about a mile or so outside town with his grandson.”

There was a sudden, short burst of cold air as the front door opened and closed, Christophe looked up and smiled.

“Well speak of the devil. Hey Yuri! Come here for a minute, would you?”

Yuuri and Phichit exchanged looks before looking towards the door where a boy who looked to be around fourteen or fifteen was standing. He was bundled in a heavy coat and had a thick scarf wrapped around his head. The boy looked over, eyes narrowing in clear annoyance before making his way towards them. He pulled the scarf down from around his mouth then crossed his arms when he came to a stop beside the table.

“What do you want old man?”

Christophe let out what was obviously an over-dramatic sigh as he looked down at the boy.

“Honestly, where _did_ you learn your manners? Certainly not from Kolya.”

The boy’s scowl deepened. “You know I didn’t come here for a friendly visit-“

“You do those?” Christophe cut in, clearly feigning surprise. The boy ignored him.

“It’s going to start getting dark soon. I just want to get something to eat and get out of here. So if you’ve got nothing to say then-”

“Okay, okay settle down. These fine gentlemen here are interested in meeting your grandfather.”

The boy looked over at Yuuri and Phichit for the first time, Yuuri wondered if the boy had even noticed them before now, and after looking between the two of them for a moment he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Yuuri felt his nerves begin to rise.

“Why are you interested in my grandpa?”

“Er… Well…”

Yuuri glanced over at Phichit. His new traveling companion had given him a decent cover story, but Yuuri had never been particularly good at lying, and with the intense look this kid was giving them he was less inclined to want to do so. Victor had always been much better in these sorts of situations.

“I… I’m writing a book. About old legends and… Well Christophe was telling us that your grandfather is the one to ask about such things, so I-we were hoping to be able to talk to him.”

Phichit grinned and gave him a quick and discreet thumbs-up that Yuuri hoped meant he hadn’t sounded too awkward. The boy uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his hips as he leaned in closer—Yuuri just barely resisted the urge to lean away. Bright green eyes fixed on him, so fierce in their intensity that Yuuri felt as if they were looking right through him, how could a kid be so intimidating?

“A book about legends huh?” the boy eventually said. “Sounds boring.”

Yuuri laughed nervously. “I know it’s not for everyone but…”

“They’re particularly interested in the Lord of Winter,” Christophe said.

The boy’s head snapped towards him, eyes wide as he stared at him a moment before looking back to Yuuri, who felt a chill run down his spine at the look of pure venom the boy was giving him.

“So that’s what you’re after,” he snarled. “You’re here to harass my grandpa!”

Yuuri jumped at the sudden outburst, his own eyes going wide as he looked at the boy. A few heads turned to look in their direction, Yuuri glanced at them nervously before focusing back on the boy.

“Wha- No! No of course not!” he said as he waved his hands frantically. “Why would you think that?”

“Because that’s what everyone who asks about the Lord of Winter wants. Well you can take your book and shove it up your-”

“Yuri please, must you be so vulgar?” Christophe said, sounding slightly exasperated. “I don’t think these gentlemen have any ill intentions towards your grandfather so there’s no need for hostility.

Yuuri nodded. “I understand that the Lord of Winter is a touchy subject, but I just want to ask your grandfather a few questions, that’s all. If he doesn’t want to talk to me then I will respect that and leave him be.”

The boy, Yuri, continued to eye him with suspicion. Yuuri sat silently, nerves on end as he waited for the boy to make a decision, but the longer the silence stretched out the more he began to fear he would be turned away. This was the first real lead he had found since leaving home, but he knew he couldn’t force people to talk to him. If Yuri refused to let him talk to his grandfather then he wouldn’t push the issue, even if it meant he would be back to square one. If that happened then-

“How about we buy you dinner?” Phichit suddenly pipped up, both of them looked at him.

“Huh?” Yuri said.

“It’ll let you get to know us and help you decide if we’re trustworthy enough. And if you end up not liking us well then at least you get a free meal out of it.”

Now it was Yuuri’s turn to kick Phichit under the table, he didn’t have the money for that! He had already ordered the least expensive thing Christophe had to offer, and Phichit was thankfully paying for himself. And while Phichit’s idea of having Yuri sit down and talk with them before deciding whether or not to take them to his grandfather was admittedly a good one, he wasn’t about to expect his new companion to pay for the additional meal, not when the need to speak with Yuri’s grandfather was Yuuri’s problem. When Phichit gave him a quizzical look Yuuri excused the two of them before dragging the younger man away from the table.

“That hurt you know,” Phichit complained when Yuuri had stopped and turned towards him. “What was that for anyway?”

“You do realize we’ve still got a few weeks worth of travel, right?”

“Yeah? So?”

“So, we can’t afford unnecessary expenses. Like buying food for some moody kid.”

“A moody kid whose grandfather might know something you need to know. Look I know it’s not ideal, but it’s obvious this kid isn’t going to let us anywhere near his grandfather if he thinks we’re going to cause problems for him. It’ll just be this one time. And it’s either this or keep going completely blind.”

Yuuri ran a hand through his hair and sighed, he knew Phichit was right. He had left home without having a clue as to where he was going or what he was really doing, and with so little known about the Lord of Winter could he really pass up the opportunity to talk to someone who might be able to point him in the right direction? Especially if there was a chance said person would actually talk to him if Christophe’s word was anything to go by. Of course, it was just as likely that the man would throw them out the moment anything about the Lord of Winter was asked. Still, it was the first lead he had found since leaving home, he couldn’t just ignore it. He would just have to hope the kid didn’t eat much.

“Come on. We better get back over there before he leaves.”

Phichit nodded and the two of them made their way back to their table. Yuri had taken a seat there looking both bored and irritated, a bulging pack Yuuri hadn’t noticed before sat at his feet. He looked up as they returned to their seats.

“The old man went to get my food, are you paying for it or not?” he demanded.

Yuuri resisted the urge to sigh, this kid really had a bad attitude.

“If you take us to see your grandfather then yes.”

The boy tsked as he slumped back in his chair and crossed his arms but didn’t argue, Yuuri figured it was the best he was going to get. Christophe returned shortly after with the boy’s order—a hearty looking stew and some bread—and Yuuri eyed it warily. While not the most expensive thing he could have ordered, it was still likely to be on the edge of pricey since like many other things the price of meat had gone up as it became harder to come by. Reminding himself it was just this one time and that it would be worth it if the boy’s grandfather could give him some insight on the Lord of Winter he looked up at Christophe, ready to ask for the total of both meals before he could change his mind, but Phichit spoke up first.

“Add it to my bill.”

Yuuri sputtered and looked at him.

“Wha- Phichit no. You don’t-” Phichit cut him off with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“It’s fine Yuuri, I don’t mind.”

“Well I _do_ mind. This is my problem, not yours.”

Phichit raised an eyebrow at him. “Well I mean, I _did_ decide to come along with you, so I’d say it’s both our problem.”

“That’s-”

“You boys are talkin’ like you’re in some sort of trouble,” Christophe cut in, Yuuri’s head snapped towards him.

“N-No, nothing like that!” he said as he waved his hands frantically in front of him. “It’s- I-”

Both Christophe and the younger Yuri were giving him odd looks. Yuuri looked between them then over at Phichit, who looked thoroughly amused by the whole thing, before letting out a defeated sigh and sinking back in his chair.

“Fine…”

Phichit grinned triumphantly then looked at Christophe and gave him the go ahead with a nod, Christophe continued to eye the two of them for a moment then shrugged and walked away. After that things were uneventful. Yuuri and Phichit properly introduced themselves—Yuri didn’t seem to appreciate the irony of him and Yuuri sharing a name—and the three of them chatted idly as they finished their meals. Although Yuuri and Phichit did most of the talking, trying to reassure Yuri of their intentions and that they meant no ill will towards higs grandfather. Yuri still didn’t understand why anyone would be interested in some old legends, but he eventually said he believed them and that he would take them to meet his grandfather. Though he couldn’t guarantee the man would be willing to talk, which Yuuri assured him was fine. So they finished eating and took care of the bills—Yuuri tried a final time to keep Phichit from paying for the extra meal but Phichit just waved him off—then made their way out of the tavern. Once outside Yuri looked up at the sky and frowned.

“Damn…It’s later than I thought it was…” he muttered then looked to the other two. “Oi! You better be able to keep up, I’m not getting stuck out in the woods in the dark because you’re slow.”

Before either of them could respond the boy turned and marched towards the edge of town, hoisting his pack a bit higher on his back as he did so. Yuuri and Phichit exchanged glances before hurrying to catch up, this was going to be an interesting trip.

* * *

_After the minor confrontation with his sister Yuuri became a regular part of Victor’s group. Any time they went out—which was near every day—they would stop by the inn and see if Yuuri wanted to come out with them. Most days he did, but there were some where he wasn’t feeling up to being out around people. Victor had very quickly learned to respect those days. The first time he and the others had come by the inn on a day Yuuri wasn’t feeling up to going out they had convinced him to change his mind, assuring him that it would be fine and that he would have fun once he was out. Not even an hour later, when Yuuri was completely inconsolable after bumping into and knocking over a display in one of the shops did Victor realize their error. The shopkeeper hadn’t been upset—nothing was broken and accidents happened—but that didn’t stop Yuuri from bursting into tears and curling up on the floor. Afraid that he was hurt the shopkeeper had knelt down to check on him, but he refused to let her touch him. Unsure of what else to do Victor had picked Yuuri up despite his protests and carried him out of the shop, assuring the shopkeeper that they were going to take him home._

_Once outside they headed straight for the inn, but once Yuuri realized where they were going he begged Victor to stop in between sobs. Victor and his friends had exchanged uncertain looks, none of them sure what to do. It was clear Yuuri needed to go home, but they didn’t want to upset him any more than he already was. They ended up ducking between a couple buildings where Victor set Yuuri down and they waited for him to calm down. After about ten minutes his sobs turned into quiet sniffles and with his eyes fixed on the ground he mumbled an apology for causing so much trouble. Victor had stepped cautiously towards him to make sure he was okay, and assured him that it hadn’t been any trouble, but Yuuri still refused to look at him and shied away when Victor reached a hand out to him. Eventually Victor decided it was best not to push it and led the way back to the inn._

_None of Yuuri’s family were in sight when they entered the establishment, Victor had to admit he was a little relieved by that and apparently so was Yuuri. Victor saw him glance around quickly before making a beeline towards the door that led upstairs. He didn’t say a word to them before departing, but Victor thought he saw the beginnings of fresh tears in the younger boy’s eyes so he let him go. Later that night he went back the inn, he wanted to check on Yuuri but ended up talking to his mother instead. He explained to her what had happened and expressed just how badly he and the other boys felt about the whole thing. It really was their fault after all, they had talked Yuuri into going out when he wasn’t up for it. Yuuri’s mother had smiled kindly, assured him that Yuuri would be fine, and then explained that Yuuri was a little different from other children. Yuuri was shy by nature—Victor knew this already—and sometimes it was harder for Yuuri to be around people, especially large groups. On those days even just the thought of being around people was enough to make him anxious, so he preferred to stay inside and give his nerves a chance to settle. When Victor asked why Yuuri got so overwhelmed his mother had responded that that was just how Yuuri was. Victor had nodded, even though he didn’t understand and asked if it would be all right for him to come back tomorrow. Yuuri’s mother had said that sounded like a fine idea._

_So the next day Victor had returned, opting to come by himself rather that with his friends. It took a couple minutes before Yuuri let him into his room, and even longer before the younger boy would look at him. Victor apologized for having talked him into going out when he didn’t want to, and once again said how bad he felt for what had happened. Yuuri had tried to say that it was all right but Victor had insisted that it wasn’t, that what he had done was no way to treat a friend and promised that he would never do it again. Yuuri had stared wide-eyed at his earnestness before smiling and thanking him. They spent the rest of the day in Yuuri’s room._

_After that things were better. Victor explained things ahead of time to the others so the next time Yuuri went out with them nothing was said about it and they went right to whatever plans they had. Yuuri had been grateful for that._

_Of course, there were days Yuuri couldn’t go out with them because his help was needed at the inn. On those days Victor always volunteered to stay and help out. The first time this happened Yuuri had stared at Victor in disbelief, only snapping out of it when Victor took advantage of his shock and swiped the tray of empty plates out of his hands. His startled shout had brought his mother hurrying into the dining area, no doubt afraid her son had dropped something again, and she was beyond thrilled that Victor wanted to help. Years later Yuuri would realize it was because she knew Victor wanted to be around him, but at the time he had been flustered, insisting that Victor didn’t have to. His mother had gently shushed him as she and Victor insisted it was fine before disappearing back into the kitchen. So Victor had stayed, and after that he became a regular sight around the inn._

_Victor continued to “sneak” into Yuuri’s room through his window. Yuuri’s parents knew that he did it, though it had been quite the surprise for his mother when she went to check on him after hearing something to discover Victor there. To their surprise his parents didn’t discourage the evening visits, in fact his father looped some rope onto the higher branches to make it safer for Victor. The only condition was that they didn’t stay up too late, “Growing boys need their sleep” his mother had said._

_“So tell me more about your home town, what did you say it was called? Hat… Hat-susu?”_

_Yuuri tried and failed to hide a giggle behind his hand, which prompted Victor to throw one of his mother’s home-made candies at him and stick out his tongue. Yuuri laughed more._

_“Oh come on, I wasn’t that off was I?”_

_“No, you were close,” Yuuri confirmed as his giggles subsided. “Hasetsu, and there’s not much to tell really. It’s smaller than Trevin, and there isn’t a lot to do there. I stayed home and helped my parents mostly.”_

_“Helped them with what?”_

_Yuuri shrugged. “Whatever they needed help with. Cooking, cleaning, we made and sold food there too.”_

_“Didn’t you have any friends to hang out with?”_

_“I had Yuuko and Takeshi, we would play at the beach sometimes.”_

_Victor perked up. “The beach? I’ve always wanted to see the ocean. You’re so lucky.”_

_Yuuri gave a noncommittal hum and looked away, a sense of loneliness settled over him as it always did when he thought of Hasetsu and the friends he had left behind. He had always been intimidated by the other children back home, and because of that he avoided playing with them. Then he met Yuuko, a kind, bubbly girl who much like Victor had been excited that there was a “new kid” to play with, not realizing at the time that he had always been there. With Yuuko had come Takeshi, who was brash and known to be a bit of a bully, the complete opposite of Yuuko. Yuuri hadn’t liked him very much at first. The older boy had been fond of picking on him for being small and a little on the chubby side, but after multiple scolding’s from Yuuko—which eventually led to her saying she would stop being his friend if he didn’t knock it off—Takeshi finally stopped. It took a little while before they would look at each other as friends, but at least Yuuri hadn’t feel the need to hide any time he saw the older boy around. He had only known them for two years before his family decided to move, but they had been two great years. Yuuri wondered if he would ever see them again._

_“Yuuri?”_

_Victor’s voice broke through his thoughts, drawing his attention back to the older boy. There was concern in his eyes and it was only then that Yuuri realized he had started crying. He looked away again and hastily wiped at his eyes._

_“S-Sorry…” he murmured, Victor shook his head._

_“You have nothing to apologize for, I can’t even begin to imagine how you feel. It must be hard being so far from your friends and the home you knew.”_

_Yuuri nodded. “It is hard. Sometimes… Sometimes I hate it and just want to go back. I’ve even thought of asking my parents if I could a few times, Yuuko’s family would probably take me in.”_

_Victor didn’t have anything to say to that, what could he say? He had lived in Trevin his whole life, if he would ever have to leave…_

_“It’s gotten better though. Especially… recently.”_

_He glanced over at Victor as he said that, a shy smile playing at his lips. Victor tilted his head to the side and was about to ask what had changed when he realized just what Yuuri was saying. His eyes widened, and he grinned like he had just been told the best news ever._

_“I’m glad to hear that! Hopefully one day you’ll come to love Trevin as much as you love Hat-susu.”_

_He finished his comment with a wink and Yuuri couldn’t help it, he laughed, louder and harder than he had in a long time. Victor soon joined in._

_It was hard, being in a new place, Trevin was nothing like Hasetsu. The people, the culture, even just the way it looked was so different from what he was used to. Some days were harder than others, but since meeting Victor Yuuri was starting to feel that maybe moving hadn’t been so bad after all. He still didn’t understand why the older boy was so determined to be friends with him, but he decided it didn’t matter. It was nice having a friend again—friends he needed to remind himself, it wasn’t just Victor after all—and he wanted to hold on to that for as long as he could._

_“So tell me more about Yuuko and Takeshi,” Victor said once their laugher had subsided, Yuuri smiled and nodded._

_“Well, this one time we-“_

* * *

“Persistent brat…” the Lord of Winter muttered as he gazed into his ice globe, eyebrows drawn together in annoyance as he watched the three figures in it.

After Victor’s little excursion to see Yuuri the Lord of Winter had kept a close eye on the young man, certain that the events that had transpired would finally be enough to make him turn back. But even falling through a frozen river and nearly freezing to death wasn’t enough to deter him it seemed, and now he had someone else with him! Not that either of them posed any real threat, but just the knowledge that now there were two people searching for him and his castle was enough to be irritating.

The young boy Yuuri and his new traveling companion has met after reaching Langlim however, now he posed a problem. In hindsight, he should have realized that sooner or later Yuuri was going to reach Langlim, but he had been so sure that the pest would have turned back by now that he hadn’t given it much thought. That oversight was coming back to haunt him now.

“Kolya…”

Oversight indeed. Yuuri has been lucky so far: picking the right general direction to head, reaching Langlim, finding someone who could lead him to the one person that could point Yuuri right at him, but that luck was about to change. Circling his hands around the globe he called on his magic, a cruel smile on his lips as he concentrated on what he wanted. He was going to make sure they never reached the boy’s grandfather and put a stop to this nonsense once and for all.

* * *

“Why do you live so far away from town?” Phichit asked.

They had been walking for a while, the town long gone behind them and nothing to see now but trees and snow. Yuuri didn’t mind the long walk, honestly this was nothing compared to the amount of walking he had done since leaving home, but Phichit clearly wasn’t used to this sort of exertion and seemed to be tiring. He managed to keep pace with them, adhering to Yuri’s rule of not slowing him down, but there was a noticeable sag in his shoulders, Yuuri couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for him. The hadn’t really rested after reaching Langlim, Phichit having been too excited and wanting to have a look around, so their only break had been when they sat down to eat before meeting Yuri. Yuuri was going to have to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn’t exhaust himself.

“You’d have to ask grandpa,” Yuri said with a shrug. “He’s lived out here since before I was born.”

“Isn’t it inconvenient though?” Phichit pressed. “I mean there’s no one around, what if one of you gets hurt or sick?”

“We take care of ourselves.”

Phichit looked over at Yuuri and raised a disbelieving eyebrow, Yuuri just shrugged. He agreed that it was strange anyone would want to live so far away from civilization, but it wasn’t unheard of, maybe Yuri’s grandfather just liked his privacy. Although that didn’t bode well for a couple of strangers coming by to ask questions about a touchy subject if that were the case, Yuuri felt nerves settle into his stomach. What if Yuri’s grandfather was unwilling to talk to them? Then what? Yuuri supposed he would just have to continue on as he had been, but what if he reached the Kreska Mountains and found nothing? He would be right back to square one. No, less than that. The Kreska Mountain’s at least gave him a goal, if there was nothing there then that’s exactly what he had, nothing. This could be his only chance to gain some insight, but if Yuri’s grandfather wouldn’t talk to him…

He was pulled from his thoughts by a sudden tingling sensation in his left arm, more specifically his wrist. Looking down, he brought his other hand up to rest over it, right where the Lord of Winter had left his mark on him that day. Strange, it had never done that before. It didn’t hurt, but it was certainly impossible to ignore.

“Yuuri?” Yuuri started and looked up, Phichit was looking at him in concern. “Are you all right?”

“Huh? Oh, uh,” he glanced back down to his wrist before dropping his hands to his side and looking at Phichit again. “Yeah I’m fine. Just… an old injury acting up. Probably because of the cold.”

Phichit gave him a skeptical look but seemed to decide not to press the topic as he looked forward again. Letting out a silent sigh Yuuri looked forward as well to see Yuri looking at him over his shoulder. Their eyes met briefly before the youth turned away. Yuuri glanced down at his left hand, clenching and unclenching his fist, the tingling was becoming more prominent. What was going on?

“What the hell?”

Yuuri blinked and looked up, Yuri had stopped walking and was staring at something straight ahead. Following his gaze Yuuri’s eyes widened to see the snow about thirty feet ahead of them… moving? Yes, it was definitely moving, rising up and twisting as if trying to take shape.

“Uh… I’m not crazy, right?” Phichit said, a slight shake in his voice. “You guys are seeing this too?”

Neither of them said anything as they continued to stare, the tingling in Yuuri’s wrist had become so intense it was bordering on painful now. With a sudden feeling of dread, he realized what was going on: the tingling, the snow seeming to come to life, there was only one explanation, and it wasn’t a good one. He took a step back.

“Run.”

Yuri and Phichit looked at him, their looks of confusion slowly shifting to fear to match the one no doubt on his face. Behind them the snow finished taking shape and four large, wolf looking creatures made of snow and ice leered at them, Yuuri’s eyes went wide.

“Run!”

The creatures charged as Yuuri turned and ran, he heard startled cries from Yuri and Phichit and soon the two of them were on his heels.

“What are those things?!” Phichit cried.

“Who cares just keep running!” Yuri shouted.

Yuuri took a chance to look over his shoulder, the creatures were gaining fast. They were never going to be able to outrun them and there didn’t seem to be any place for them to hide. There was only one option Yuuri could think of.

“Yuri, how far is your house?”

“Not too much further but we’re going the wrong way!”

“Then we need to circle back. Split up, and for the love of God don’t slow down.”

The other two peeled off, each dashing in a different direction while Yuuri kept going the direction he had been. Glancing back, he saw two of the creatures break off, each going after one of his companions while the other two continued after him. Of course they would focus on him. He needed to get turned around but was afraid of losing any momentum by changing directions. Suddenly the snow in front of him erupted as another of the creatures burst out. Yuuri scrambled to a stop and quickly looked back to see that only one of the creatures was behind him now, the other must have burrowed through the snow to get in front of him. Perfect. The one in front of him growled, drawing his attention back. He took a few steps backwards as it crept forward, hunched low to the ground and ready to pounce. It was too close for him to try running, but the one behind him was getting closer and would be on him in no time if he remained where he was. An idea came to him, but it was going to take a heck of a lot of luck and perfect timing. Keeping his eyes on the one in front of him and ears on the one behind he waited, taking another couple steps back. The one in front of him crouched lower.

_”Come on…”_ he thought.

Suddenly the one in front of him pounced, Yuuri waited until the last possible moment before diving and rolling out of the way. The two creatures collided, bursting apart in a cloud of snow and ice that rained down on him. Yuuri lay there a moment, slightly dazed and a little in shock of what had just happened, he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting but it hadn’t been that. He didn’t have time to gather his thoughts however as a cry suddenly caught his attention. Looking up he saw one of the creatures had stopped moving and had Phichit pinned under one of its massive paws.

“Phichit!”

Yuuri scrambled to his feet and ran towards them. Phichit was struggling with everything he had to get away, trying and failing to push the beasts paw off his chest. Yuuri looked around as he ran, searching for anything he could use as a weapon. He spied a grouping of trees not far off with some low hanging branches, an idea immediately popped into his head. Looking forward again he stopped, he should be close enough.

“Hey!”

The creature had its mouth open wide and was leaning down with the intention of biting Phichit in half when Yuuri’s shout caught its attention. It paused and looked over at him.

“Leave him alone! I’m the one you want right?”

The creature looked at him, then at Phichit, then back at him. It seemed to consider a moment then turned its full attention to Yuuri, removing its paw from Phichit as it took a step towards him. Phichit scrambled back out of the way, his eyes wide and full of fear. Yuuri didn’t dare say anything to him and risk drawing the creature’s attention back to him. Instead he kept his eyes on the beast as it took a few more steps towards him. He waited until he was sure its attention was on him and Phichit was forgotten before turning and running, the beast immediately gave chase.

“Yuuri!”

Yuuri heard the shout but didn’t dare look back, he needed to focus. The grouping of trees he had seen drew closer, but he could hear the beast quickly gaining on him. Fear began to settle in his stomach while thought of ‘I’m not going to make it, I’m going to die, I’m not going to make it’ started to run through his head as unbidden tears began to run down his cheeks. He brushed then away in irritation. No, he had come too far, this wasn’t how it was going to end. Putting on a dash of speed he sprinted the last few feet to the trees, ducking under the branches and turning. The beast was close, he would only have one chance at this. Grabbing one of the branches he walked backwards, pulling it back as far as he could. His feet slipped a few times, the heavy branch nearly pulling him off them, but he dug his heels in and held firm. The creature didn’t slow, it ran straight towards where it had seen Yuuri go. As it reached the first tree Yuuri released the branch, letting it spring back to its original position and slice right thought the creature. Like the other two it burst apart into a cloud of snow and ice, Yuuri let out a whoop of victory, it had worked!

“Yuuri!”

Yuuri looked to see Phichit hurrying towards him, he ran out to meet him.

“Oh my god. That was- How did you- That was amazing!”

“Are you okay?”

“I… I think so?” Phichit patted himself down. “Yeah. What about you?”

“I’m fine. Where’s Yuri?”

They both looked around, but Yuri and his snow beast were nowhere to be seen.

“Did you see which way he went?” Yuuri asked.

“I was a little preoccupied.”

Yuuri hurried back towards where the beasts had appeared, Phichit followed close behind. The snow was torn up in an obvious path, showing exactly where the beasts had gone. It started out wide, going along until the point they had split up and two small paths broke off from the main one. One of the paths went in a wide arc up to the point where one of the beasts had had Phichit pinned. The other went out for a short distance then abruptly changed and went back the direction they had originally been heading, disappearing between some trees.

“Guess he made a run for home.” Phichit commented.

“Let’s just hope he made it there. Come on.”

They followed the path deeper into the woods and for once Yuuri was glad for the thick layer of snow on the ground, without it they wouldn’t have had a clue which way to go. Yuuri kept his eyes on the path while straining his ears to hear anything that would tell them if they were getting close, but all he could hear was the hurried crunch of their boots in the snow. It hadn’t been that long since they had separated so Yuri couldn’t have gotten too far, surely they should have come across him by now. Unless of course the beast had already caught him in which case-

Yuuri quickly shook that thought from his mind, he refused to even consider that option. Yuri knew these woods, at least Yuuri assumed he did if he lived out here, surely he knew some places where he could either hide or at least make it difficult for the beast to follow. But if he had run straight for his house without even attempting to lose it…

“Yuuri look!” Phichit suddenly exclaimed.

Jerking out of his thoughts he glanced at Phichit before focusing his attention ahead of them, his heart jumped into his throat. The beast was there, clawing viciously at a tree, a tree that was at the end of the path they had been following through the snow. Fear gripped at his chest, squeezing until it became hard to breath, were they too late? Yuuri scanned the area frantically, searching for any sign of their younger companion. His gaze drifted back to the beast, and the way it was tearing at the tree before it, what was it doing? Yuuri squinted and when the beast shifted its position he saw it, the edge of a hole at the base of the tree, his hope quickly rose. With any luck Yuri had crawled into the hole to try and hide from the beast, but with the way it was tearing at the tree it wouldn’t be long before it reached its target. Yuuri looked around, searching for something, _anything_ he could use as a weapon. There were a few tree branches lying about, grabbing the biggest one he made to move for the beast but Phichit grabbed his arm.

“Are you out of your mind? What do you think you’re going to do with that?”

“We have to do something Phichit! If we don’t Yuri will be killed!”

Phichit opened his mouth to argue but Yuuri didn’t give him the chance, yanking his arm free he ran towards the beast, swinging his makeshift weapon as hard as he could. It connected with the beasts back leg with a muted thump, bits of snow flew up from the impact. The beast paused in its assault of the tree, its head whipped around to look at him and let out a low growl. Yuuri gripped the branch tightly in an attempt to steady his shaking hands, every fiber of his being was telling him to turn and run but he held his ground, lifting his branch up in an intimidating manner. At least he hoped it was intimidating, at the very least he wanted the beast to know he meant to be a threat. The beast cast a final glance back towards the tree before turning fully towards Yuuri, following him as Yuuri took a few steps back. Yuuri’s heart was hammering in his chest, he had no idea how he was going to deal with this final beast, though at the moment his only concern was getting it far enough away from the tree for Yuri to get away.

The beast didn’t even flinch as he swung the branch again, the end swishing a good foot away from its face. He wasn’t trying to hit it, he just wanted to keep its attention on him and away from the tree, and it seemed to be working. The beast advanced on him slowly, forcing Yuuri to take a few more steps back. He kept a careful eye on the tree, the moment Yuri emerged he was going to make a run for it but so far the boy had yet to appear. Yuuri didn’t dare call out, afraid that if he did the beast would turn its attention back to the tree, until he knew Yuri was safely out of the way there was nothing he could do. He continued to walk backwards, but instead of following the beast lowered itself, readying to pounce. Before it could do so, and before Yuuri could react a large rock came soaring out of no-where and struck the beast in the side of the head. It let out a yelp of pain before whipping its head around towards where it had come from. Yuuri looked as well and his eyes went wide when they fell on an elderly man standing a short distance, seemingly unperturbed by the creature before him. The beast growled then turned and charged towards the old man, Yuuri clearly forgotten.

“No!” Yuuri shouted. “Get out of there!”

The old man didn’t move, casting the briefest of glances Yuuri’s way before focusing on the beast rushing towards him. Yuuri stood rooted to the spot, he told himself he needed to move, needed to do something to stop the beast, but his body refused to obey. What could he could do? Even if he could catch up to the beast he had no way of fighting it. This man was going to be killed, and it was going to be Yuuri’s fault.

With only a few feet remaining it kicked off and leapt through the air, mouth open wide and ready to tear the old man apart. But right as it would have reached him it abruptly burst into a cloud of ice and snow. Yuuri stared in stunned shock as the man casually brushed some of the snow from his coat, he knew he should go over and makes sure the man was all right but at the moment he was afraid any movement would cause his legs to give out on him.

Yuri slowly emerged from his hiding place, eyes wide as he looked around for the snow beast. When he noticed the old man he scrambled to his feet and hurried towards him.

“Grandpa!”

The old man walked forward a few steps to meet his grandson who immediately began to fuss, gesturing wildly as he spoke. Yuuri wasn’t sure what to do, should he go over? Yuri and his grandfather seemed to be all right, if Yuri’s energy and the dismissive wave his grandfather gave him was anything to go by. Why had this happened now? For months Yuuri had traveled without the Lord of Winter bothering him, he hadn’t even been sure the Lord of Winter was aware of what he was doing, had he been watching him this whole time? And if so why try to stop him now? What would cause the Lord of Winter to feel threatened enough to suddenly take action? And was there anything Yuuri could do to make sure it didn’t happen again?

“Yuuri?”

Yuuri jumped and looked over to see Phichit standing beside him, he looked about as shaken as Yuuri felt and was eyeing him with worry, had Phichit been trying to get his attention?

“Sorry, what?”

“I asked if you were okay.”

“Oh, yeah I’m fine.”

“You’re not hurt?”

Yuuri shook his head. “No. It never even got near me.”

Phichit slumped in relief. “That’s good,” he said, then after a pause. “I think I believe you now…”

Yuuri had nothing to say to that. He wanted to be happy, finally someone believed him about what was going on, but it had come at the risk of other people’s lives. Being thought of as crazy didn’t seem so bad compared to that. One thing was for sure, allowing Phichit to come along with him had been a bad idea, one that he was going to rectify before anything else could happen. But first…

“I’m sorry…” he said, Phichit tilted his head to the side.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Because I wasn’t expecting this, and I should have. I should have known that the Lord of Winter would eventually try and stop me from reaching him. You or Yuri could have been hurt, or worse. All because of my thoughtlessness.”

“Yuuri… Sure what happened was… intense, but you shouldn’t blame yourself. It’s because of you no one was hurt.”

“Even so, I still think it would be best if you-“

“Well that was certainly exciting,” a voice called. The two of them looked over to see Yuri and his grandfather approaching. He stopped a few feet from them, planting his cane into the snow and looking them over with a curious eye.

“So tell me, which of you has made the Lord of Winter angry?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh ho ho! The plot thickens! Why does the Lord of Winter know Yurio's grandfather? Why was Yurio's grandfather unfazed by what happened? Will he be willing to talk to Yuuri? And will he had the information Yuuri is looking for? Tune in next time to find out!
> 
> In all seriousness though, I've been looking forward to getting to this point because it starts getting a bit deeper into the story. _Hopefully_ that will motivate me to get my butt in gear and get the next chapter written in a more timely fashion.
> 
> As always, I'd love to hear what you thought!

**Author's Note:**

> Dun, dun, DUN.
> 
> And there you have it. If you’re still here and planning to continue with this story, thank you! If not, I’m sorry to see you go.
> 
> I know there wasn’t much here, but as I said this was simply meant to set up the story. I’ve got a lot of stuff in mind for this, it’s just a matter of sorting through it and getting it all written in a way that makes sense.
> 
> I’ve been trying to get myself back into writing, but between lack of motivation or lack of confidence it hasn’t been going so great, so please bear with me as I try to get this story out. I’m really excited about it so I’m hoping that will be enough to keep me going.
> 
> Let me know what you liked or didn’t like, feedback is always appreciated. ^.^


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